Life Not Going According to Plan - Now What?
Have you ever looked at your life and thought:
"I thought I'd be somewhere else by now."
Not necessarily somewhere else geographically.
Just...somewhere else.
Maybe you thought you'd be married by now.
Maybe you thought your health would be better.
Maybe you thought retirement would look different.
Maybe you thought your finances would be stronger.
Maybe you thought life would be easier.
And yet here you are.
Living a life that looks different than the one you imagined.
If you've ever felt disappointed by that reality, I want you to know something:
It makes sense. ❤️
Disappointment Doesn't Mean Something Is Wrong
Recently, I read a book by Tess Campbell called A Wheelie Awkward Romance. One of the ideas she shares is that we become emotionally attached to futures that don't yet exist.
Think about that for a moment.
The relationship doesn't exist.
The experience doesn't exist.
The opportunity doesn't exist.
At least not yet.
But we picture it.
We plan for it.
We dream about it.
And when life unfolds differently than we imagined, we feel disappointed.
Sometimes we even judge ourselves for feeling that way.
But disappointment isn't weakness.
It isn't evidence that you've failed.
Often, disappointment simply means something mattered to you.
You cared.
You hoped.
You invested emotionally in a future you wanted.
That's a very human thing to do.
The Future Rarely Arrives the Way We Expect
When I was six years old, I lived in Vernal, Utah.
Even as a little girl, I was fascinated by possibility. I remember visiting family in Las Vegas and hearing adults talk about opportunities that existed in a bigger city.
The idea captured my imagination.
Eventually, my family moved to Las Vegas, and I loved it.
I built a wonderful life there.
A successful corporate career.
Strong friendships.
A community I cared about.
In fact, if you had asked me years ago where I'd spend the rest of my life, I would have confidently answered:
"Las Vegas."
I thought I knew how my story would unfold.
I was wrong.
Not because my life turned out badly.
Because it turned out differently.
Marriage.
Missouri.
Leaving corporate America.
Becoming a coach.
Starting a podcast.
None of those things were in my original blueprint.
And yet here they are.
Sometimes the vision is right, but the details are very different than we expected.
The Real Danger Isn't Disappointment
The real danger isn't disappointment.
The real danger is resignation.
Disappointment says:
"This isn't what I expected."
Resignation says:
"This is all my life will ever be."
Those are very different things.
Acceptance and resignation are not the same.
Acceptance says:
"This is the chapter I'm in."
Resignation says:
"This is the whole story."
One keeps you moving forward.
The other quietly convinces you to stop.
And that's where many people get stuck.
Not because they're weak.
Not because they're doing life wrong.
But because they've been carrying disappointment for a long time.
Eventually, they stop imagining possibilities.
They stop envisioning a future they love.
They stop turning pages.
And they start rereading the current chapter over and over.
Your Current Chapter Is Not the Whole Story
I want you to think about your life as a book. 📖
Some chapters are joyful.
Some chapters are exciting.
And some chapters are incredibly difficult.
Widow.
Caregiver.
Divorce.
Health Challenges.
Debt.
Job Loss.
Empty Nest.
Retirement.
Still Single.
Some chapters are not ones we would have chosen.
But they are still chapters.
They are not the entire book.
That's why vision matters.
Vision isn't pretending everything is fine.
Vision isn't denying reality.
Vision is the ability to see beyond the current chapter.
It's remembering that there are still pages left to write.
What Will You Create Inside This Chapter?
One of the most empowering truths I've learned is this:
We don't always get to choose the chapter.
But we do get to choose what we create inside it.
We get to decide:
✨ Who we want to be.
✨ What we want to create.
✨ How we want to show up.
✨ What we want the next page to say.
That doesn't mean life becomes easy.
It means we remain participants in our own story.
Not passive observers.
Not victims of circumstance.
Authors.
Co-authors, really.
Because I believe God is writing with us.
The story is still unfolding.
The next page hasn't been written yet.
And neither you nor I know what the next chapter will hold.
Four Questions to Consider
If life isn't going according to plan right now, spend a few minutes with these questions:
What is the title of my current chapter?
Who do I want to be in this chapter?
What do I want to create in this chapter?
What possibility have I stopped envisioning?
The answers may surprise you.
And they may remind you of something important:
Your current chapter is real.
Your disappointment is real.
But your story isn't over yet. ❤️