For years, we have had an inside family joke about the way my mother packs. I mean, why do we need a coffee pot and the quilt that Grandma made and 47 little jars of “stuff”, it’s only a couple of days? I can recall soooo many trips to the car as a child, sweating, complaining, and packing the back of her Blazer with all sorts of things we knew we would never need. As a matter of fact, we still laugh and jest with her about her little collections of things, but I tell you what…no one can create a moment, the way my mother can. She has this amazing gift of making everyone feel right at home, no matter where we are. What I did not realize was the hours of planning, preparation and list making that went into making sure we all shared in that positive experience.

It’s sorta sad how many of us will spend hours and hours planning an office birthday party or a girls night out, yet one of the things I hear daily is “I don’t have time to plan”. Why is it so difficult for us to stop for five minutes to prepare for our day or schedule an hour for self-care, let alone create a 5 year plan for our life. I mean we have all heard the sayings…

Failure to plan, is planning to fail.

Plan your work and work your plan.

Yet, we continue to be a society (ok, me, I’m totally the society) that lives by the seat of their pants, moving from one moment into the next without a second thought about what comes next. Just think about your morning…what could have been just a tad bit faster, easier, less stressful if you would have just “planned for it”.

But, what in the world does that even mean?! How does one “plan” for this goofy Florida weather or the 15 minutes of snooze button I totally needed or the weird mascara stain in the hotel sink? I mean sometimes stuff just happens, Yo. I don’t need one of those fancy you tube mom planners with all the pretty stickers to get me through those ridiculous moments…or do I?

To plan, means to decide or arrange in advance.

I don’t know about you, but I’m moving so fast sometimes I’m just lucky to get to where I need to get, let alone be prepared to be there. BUT, out of the dozens of articles I read trying to understand the benefits of this seemingly daunting task, the number one reason (agreed on by every source out there) is that is reduces stress. Hello!!!

Dude, the journey is hard enough as it is; if we could develop a skill that would ease the mind (and reduce the blood pressure) even just a little but…it would be so worth it! What if I also told you that taking the time to plan came with other incredible game-changing benefits:

• A sense of accomplishment is a very powerful motivator.

• Raises our level of self-esteem and confidence when we know what we are aiming for.

• Having a plan gives us a more positive outlook and increases our chances of success.

• Nothing sexier than a woman with a plan 😉

When checking out today, I looked down and literally giggled out loud as I saw my mother and all her little collections of “stuff” on my very own hotel cart. I smile at the thought that I could be so lucky as to have inherited her skill for creating moments…wherever life may take us.

*Stay tuned as we bring you more tips and tricks for feeling more prepared in your life*