Planning on it

The desire to get things right surges to the forefront particularly at times like embarking on a trip, with its limited parameters or opportunities to change things along the way. With all the research and scheduling we do, we want and hope everything will go ‘according to plan.’ Of course, circumstances sometimes intervene and plans go awry, but worse than situations collapsing that are beyond our control are the things that go south as a result of the poor decisions that we’ve made. What happens when the reality doesn’t measure up to our vision or expectations? What do we do when confronted with a horribly disappointing outcome?

On my current trip to British Columbia, along with many pleasurable surprises, a number of my accommodation or volunteering arrangements have not panned out so positively. At times, the disparity between my expectation and the reality have made me seriously doubt my ability to make the right choices or properly gauge the energy of a place in advance to determine its compatibility with my own.

Of course, the internet makes it harder in some ways to wade through the imagery and hype and to determine if a place is right for you. But I think we also share a portion of the responsibility. For a couple of the situations I entered into, I could sense certain aspects were going to be problematic. But sometimes when we really want something to be a certain way, we bypass our instincts and filter out its more questionable aspects, vowing to deal with them later. And often the good ends up outweighing the bad, but other times, the shattering disappointment of a bad situation can plunge you into serious despair.

What I’ve learned is to be absolutely clear with yourself about what will and will not work for you. Amber flags will flare red in reality and anything that feels wrong will magnify in the actuality. And your wanting something to be a certain way doesn’t automatically make it so in reality.

Instead, putting in the work to raise our vibrational energy and draw things towards us is what makes things happen. When we travel, we’re naturally vulnerable, and it’s good to be open to new experiences, but if you’re too needy, this is what you’ll project, and all you’re going to attract are the energy of other people’s neediness. If you can set off with confidence of always having what you need, through the power of like attracting like, you’re more likely to do so.

 The good news is that if we encounter a bad situation, we can remedy it, either by simply leaving or by transforming it with our own energy of clarity, strength, positivity and communication. It’s hard work, but when you can raise your energy to be your truest and highest self, you can fill the space with this certainty and allow greater things to come along. Then you can get back on track to uncover further opportunities of learning, sharing, exploring and exchanging different ways of being.