(BLACK PR WIRE) If food is essential for living, then planning is very important in the life of any person. Planning is setting goals that should be achieved within a specific time frame. These goals could be short, medium or long term. Every successful story can be traced to a plan. Planning promotes confidence, and it determines our placement in the future. I personally believe that great accomplishment in life is a result of great preparation. Likewise, poor preparation breeds poor performance.

H. Stanley Judd once said, “A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there.” We all know that today’s beautiful flowers are as a result of yesterday’s seeds. If we want to face the future with confidence, we need to plan now by writing down our goals. This will serve as a guideline which will determine the kind of books we read, the kind of lectures we attend and the kind of TV programs we watch. Because of the limitation of the brain, it is advisable we write them in a book. You might call it a goals book, visions bank, success diary, plans journal or whatever. At any point in time, we might refer to the book to check our progress.

The Bible says in Luke 14:28 that “For which of you, intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost whether he has enough to finish it.” This scripture tells us that before we decide to do anything, we must first sit down, think through the goal and take the steps to achieve that goal.

Let us take a look at some professions that require planning. Before a house is built, an architect draws a plan; before a dress is sewn, a tailor takes measurements and finally, a driver uses a road map to embark on a journey. You will realize that most professions require planning.

In the same way, as students we need to have clear-cut goals about what we want to do in life, look for methods to accomplish them and finally put in our effort to make them happen. I like the Chinese proverb which says that “When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people.” I know that because we have long- term visions, we are in college to gain the necessary skills for life.

We can attest to the fact that a well-established building has a strong foundation. In all cases, it is the depth that determines the height — the deeper the depth, the higher the structure. A large building built on a weak foundation will collapse. In the same way, proper and sound planning will serve as a foundation on which our lives will be built. Looking at the kind of life you want, build a foundation on which that life will rest.

Finally, Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” This means that what keeps us going are our goals. Planning will prevent wasted time and will enable us to face the future with confidence. Think about this proverb “It pays to plan; it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” Let us plan our lives wisely, and later in life we will be glad we did so.