Custom «Planning» Essay Paper Sample

Planning is the essential component of our lives. Whether at work or in personal life, we always try to plan everything beforehand, to make sure that we can predict changes and unexpected situations and to respond to these changes in a timely manner. It should be noted, however, that we cannot plan everything. To some extent, this unexpectedness is what makes our lives more interesting. Nevertheless, planning is critical for the success of all our initiatives, and how well we are able to plan our activities also predetermines their positive or negative outcomes.

That vacation was going to turn into the most interesting journey in my life. I had been waiting for that trip for more than two years. That trip had to become my first experience abroad and it is natural that I had been trying to do everything I could to make that trip unique. I had to travel to an exotic country. Unfortunately, I was not attentive about the customs requirements. I was not aware about vaccination and did not even suspect I would not be able to spend in the new country more than two weeks. My planning attempts were limited to scheduling the trip, packing my luggage, purchasing tickets and booking a hotel. As a result, my trip turned out to be a complete failure. I was not able to leave my native country and had to cancel the trip at the last moment. That valuable experience has come at a price, but it is due to that failure that I have got to know, how valuable and how useful planning is.

It would be fair to say that most people do not value planning as such; many of them view unexpectedness as the source of unique emotions. Moreover, not planning in its common form but the absence of planning is what makes people understand, how important it is to look further ahead and to resolve all major issues beforehand. The absence of planning means that people are not able to complete their tasks in time. In case of traveling, it means that individuals may miss their flight, forget important things, or face a health of financial threat abroad. “Not planning” is also associated with financial costs which at times reach unbelievable sums. Forgetting passport at home, being late for the train, being delayed by the customs are just some out of many troubles people face when unable to plan everything beforehand.

Certainly, it is not possible to predict everything. Traffic jams, customs issues, long lines, problematic registration, and other passengers losing their luggage may spoil any vacation. These are the conditions and circumstances which we are not always able to regulate. Moreover, very often the first trip becomes the most valuable experience, for much information about traveling is never discussed or published. However, as humans we are always capable of regulating our lives, and we should use planning to the extent where it relieves our burden of issues and gives us a sense of confidence that we have done everything we could for a good vacation. When it comes to traffic jams, leaving home earlier may give enough room for choosing a different transportation route; in case of customs, calling the customs or embassy prior to the trip may secure people from the majority of delays. As a result, the problem is not in the way unexpected and unregulated circumstances impact us, but in the way we are able to predict them and to respond to them in timely manner. Each time life beats us unexpectedly, we realize that everything could have been better if not for our negligence toward planning.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, it is only through failures and troubles that we come to realize the value of planning. Delays, traffic jams, customs issues – all these can spoil any vacation if not addressed beforehand. True, it is impossible to predict everything, and sometimes we face issues and complexities we could not even expect, but the majority of regular troubles we face on our way to an excellent vacation could have potentially been resolved through a better planning and scheduling.