When the best laid plans go awry...

I had a great time in Colorado this October. I got to experience my first Colorado fall in nine years, and it was everything I’d hoped for. I’m sure my parents got annoyed listening to me say “Ooh look at that tree!” “OMG it’s so beautiful out here!” “Wow look at these colors!” every 5 seconds as we walked around the neighborhood.

A few days away is good for the soul, and I always feel ready to get back to my normal routine when I get home…. Unfortunately, my flight back to Houston on Tuesday was diverted to Austin, and I had to spend the night at the airport.


At first, I was pretty calm about the situation (seeing other people incensed about any situation usually helps me stay calm 😅). But as the hours ticked by, I started to stress about everything I had planned for the next day.

When I finally got home Wednesday, I spent the rest of the day catching up on sleep, leaving me only two weekdays left and A LOT to do.


Thursday, I was ready to tackle my to-do list. I had assignments due that night for my grad program (which I’d planned to do Wednesday). I also had a class, coaching call, accountability call, exercise class, and Board meeting. Stressful.

So what the heck does this have to do with easeful living?

I really wanted to go to my exercise class, but I was very overwhelmed by all I had to do. When I was a teacher, I often excused myself from exercise because I was “too busy.”

On Thursday, the one optional thing was my exercise class, and I really didn’t want to fall back into my old habits, but I also really needed that time for the other stuff.

So I stopped (literally stopped what I was doing so I could think clearly). “Of course exercise is important, and I’ve been really consistent with it lately! I’m also in an unplanned time crunch, and I can’t afford to lose those 75 minutes. It would cause more stress than it relieved.”

So I decided to cancel the class, and I didn’t feel guilty about it! It was such a small moment, but it made a huge impact on my energy going into the afternoon.

Later on, I needed a short break. Instead of turning on the TV or napping, I decided to hop on my exercise bike for 30 minutes.

Now, I don’t always make this kind of “healthy” decision, but I was proud of myself for identifying my priorities for the day and my life (in this case — movement) and fitting them in wherever possible (even if it wasn’t how I’d planned).

And, what the heck does it have to do with me?

​This all may sound inconsequential. Big whoop.

But how often have you put off sleep because something came up? Or gotten takeout because you didn’t have time or motivation to cook like you’d planned? Or skipped the workout because something “more important” came up? We do this all the time and slowly our healthy habits get squeezed out to make room for stuff that isn’t more important (every once in a while it may be!). And all of sudden, we’re living out of alignment with what we really want for our lives, and we don’t know how to get back on track.

This is the work I do with my coaching clients. We identify priorities and set intentions. We set goals and action steps aligned with those priorities. We come up with backup plans (because things don’t always go according to plan). And then they act, we reassess, and we do it again. That’s it — it’s pretty simple. You can do it on your own, but it can also be helpful to do it with someone else!

You have to find ways to work within the demands of your life. That doesn’t mean you live at the whim of whatever arises. But it also doesn’t mean rigid structure and forcing things to happen. It means you bring awareness to situations that cause discomfort-stress-overwhelm and decide how to proceed with intention and without guilt, whether planning ahead or in the moment.

It’s not always going to turn out how you think it might. But it will always turn out for your highest good.

So looking at the week ahead, what intention can you set for your life and health? I’d love to know.

​Comment below, and I’ll respond with my intention for the week, too!