Growing up my generation was always encouraged to have a backup plan for whatever we did in life. This made perfect sense to me, after all, life’s outcomes were never guaranteed. Therefore, it was just common sense to make allowances for contingencies and disappointments. That meant making sure we had a few other cards tucked safely away in our back pockets just in case things didn’t go according to plan, which they rarely did. We were cautious and safe. Our lives were planned, our “bets” were hedged, and our paths were mostly predictable. Not so these days.
Strangely enough, lots of children of this younger generation do not share this view. For them life is sexy, glamorous and guaranteed and all they need to do is, want something badly enough, work hard at it or not at all, and everything will fall into place. Tunnel vision towards a dream is the mindset for some and others are free-spirited, creative, unbothered, unencumbered dreamers, just flying boldly by the “seat of their pants.”
I would try to argue that there are so many facets to life, so many surprises, too many ups and downs and twists and turns, too much for their young minds and inexperienced hearts to predict, comprehend or even fathom. Therefore, it’s only natural to want a plan A, B and sometimes C. But then they would probably argue, different generation, different time, different rules and different playbook. An answer to which, an outsider like me, foreign to that generation, should probably be silent.
So, who is right, them or me? Guess we’ll find out in a few years.
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Sincerely Jan 
I always have a plan B. ALWAYS. It’s how I was raised and how I’m wired. You’re right about life’s ups and downs. You never know when everything is going to change and having a backup plan can save you a lot of time and energy.
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I have no doubt you do Pooja. Thankfully there are still lots of young people like you out there who realize, as much as the world has changed there are some things that are still the same 😊.
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Yeah I think it’s great to be optimistic but we also need to be realistic about some stuff. A lot of us younger people are hopefully getting that too.
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This is quite a difficult one to think about…..I believe there’s no right or wrong either way. It’s always good to play it safe with a plan B and C . But, I know some people feel giving yourself a plan B or C is giving yourself the option to fail haha.
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I guess you’re right, there isn’t a right or wrong way, but I’ll always believe having a backup plan is better 😉.
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We’ll see in a few years🤫
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We’ll see sonny boy 🤣.
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I see both in this younger generation. Some work very hard, tunnel vision, to obtain a goal. Others do not want to be tied down, sort of like the “Free love” in the 60’s and 70’s. Then there are some, who think if they want it, someone should give it to them. I have wondered how some of this younger generation is dealing with the inflation at the moment, and what they will do if things do get tough. A Wait and See. One which is right or wrong? Well, I am a planner, I have plan A, B, and C, but the goal is always the same.
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Yep, all the above is true👍. I’m with you, I have an A, B, C and D 🤣.
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I have a plan b for most things, but I’m trying to learn to let go of it a little and let things flow. But it’s HARD! Sometimes that plan b (or plan c) is an adaptive trait related to survival skills!
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Survival for sure, and also it was ingrained in us as kids.
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In few years, we are up to it🌹😂
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We’ll see😂.
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I believe the reason most young people like me do not usually think of a Plan B is because of strong will (or what older people will call stubbornness). They just believe Plan A will work and will enforce it.
Most times it does because it is usually very solid, and because we have more information now than the older generations had.
And one thing I would like to point out is that your plan could be so flexible and fluid that you can fine-tune it in response to different results.
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I’ve heard that explanation before from my own kids, but I especially like your last explanation about the plan being “fluid and flexible.”
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The best piece of advice I ever received was to “be flexible” in life. A teacher told me that when I was 17 years old and I’ve never forgotten it. It’s also been a comfort when something in life didn’t go as I planned.
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True, expecting thing to go perfectly in life is setting ourselves up for a lot of disappointments.
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