“Jurassic Park: World Dominion” is not a great movie, but it makes for perfect entertainment to consume while exercising.
It was while I was exercising — turning my legs round and round on my stationary bike — that I witnessed a moment in the movie so profound that I actually stopped pedaling so I could watch the scene again and again.
It’s a moment everyone should see.
In the scene, a flying dinosaur attacks a plane on its way to the latest version of Jurassic Park. The aircraft’s engines are destroyed, and it’s going down. After using the one parachute onboard to eject a passenger to safety, the pilot and remaining passenger, played by Chris Pratt, are in the cockpit as the plane begins its fiery descent.
Pratt shouts, “What’s the plan?”
The pilot, played by DeWanda Wise, shouts, “Whatever happens! That’s he plan!”
That’s it.
That moment has implanted itself in my heart and mind — probably forever.
It’s a perfect five-word encapsulation of a philosophy that I have been adhering to all my life and one I’ve been preaching for a long, long time:
While planning is always a good idea, so much of life cannot be predicted, prepared for, or planned. So much of my success and the success of most people is a tiny bit of thoughtful planning combined with
- Relentless forward movement
- A willingness to embrace uncertainty
- a recognition of the potential value of unforeseen opportunities
- A readiness to pivot when necessary
- An acceptance of risk
- An understanding that goals are malleable and represent a general direction in life, absent the specificity that so many need to feel ready and secure and safe.
What’s the plan?
Whatever happens. That’s the plan.
I had no plan to become a storyteller, comic, business consultant, speaking coach, keynote speaker, wedding officiant, substitute minister, or wedding DJ. Never in my life could I have imagined working for Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and the FBI. Every one of these jobs happened because someone asked me to do something, and oftentimes, despite my misgivings, I said yes.
I moved forward relentlessly, embracing uncertainty, taking risks, pivoting from my predetermined path, embracing unforeseen opportunities, and trying like hell to keep my head above water.
You can plan your life and wait for things to happen, or you can plow forward and live your life.
Steve Jobs said something similar when he said:
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”
I’ve always liked that quote, too, but five words are a hell of a lot better than 28 words, and oddly, the Jurassic Park words are more forward-facing and instructive:
“Whatever happens. That’s the plan.”
So keep moving forward. Continue to work and do and make as much as possible, knowing that each step you take — intended or unintended — is part of your plan, whether that plan is yours or simply the result of moments you could have never foreseen.
