Written by: Mary Patricia Smiley, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Planning. It’s such an interesting concept. When you think about how it fuels our existence for certainty, it’s pretty much what we rest our future endeavors on. There’s an element of having something to look forward to, it offers the solace of direction and control over our lives. I used to date someone whose father booked holidays a year in advance. We knew what we were doing for Xmas every year, for ten years. It’s incredible the comfort we get as humans from planning and certainty. But does planning allow for consciously living in the present moment? By planning so far ahead, does that mean we have predetermined an event that possibly takes us away from the fated path?
There’s an element of manifesting it once you’ve paid for that holiday in Bermuda. We now have something to tell our friends when asked about future plans, but in doing this, are we depriving ourselves of the awe and wonder that resides between all these strategic and precise plans?
There are functional plans that we need to organize ourselves daily.
Pay the electric bill - so we can use the internet and connect to the world.
Pay the car insurance - so we can get around to compete for daily tasks
Pay for the nanny - so the kids are looked after while we work
Nearly every Monday, I read a social media post that fills me with absolute dread. Not because it's awful, but because there’s always this need to professionally chronicle all the planned things that will be achieved, and if they have not been ticked off by the end of the day, we feel we have failed miserably. It very much feels like an autopilot reaction to the beginning of the week keeping ourselves accountable, and it’s commendable, it really is. But I wonder if we decided to circle back to these posts to ask if everything listed was achieved, what would happen? My guess is not everything would have been achieved but imagine if we did that? It would result in a general feeling of despondency for the distinct lack of productivity - even though you may have achieved a lot on that said day, it suddenly seems futile in the face of society…
But when we talk about planning our future, how much of that is left open for the universe to participate?
What is your planning archetype?
Future planner: I have a five-year plan that I’m committed to fulfilling.
Functional planner: I pay the bills at the scheduled time and make lists for daily tasks to stay organized
Mystic planner: I live predominantly in the moment. I have some immediate plans, but I leave space, just in case.
Whichever one you identify with, we can all learn from each other. Yes, it’s important to have a vision and roadmap as to how you can navigate attaining your dreams and desires, but it’s equally as important to be open to surprises that create new connections and adventures that change the trajectory of your journey.
Considerations for the planning archetypes
1. If you identified with the future planner, look at the reasons why you feel the need to have a five-year plan? How rigid is this plan? Would you be open to a detour if it presented you with an intriguing opportunity? If the answer is yes, what would happen if it was unsuccessful? How would you feel? Would you consider it a learning curve or a complete waste of time?
Lots to unpack here…
2. If you are a functional planner, what does your day look like? Are you constantly working on the fly? Do you spend a lot of time troubleshooting to the point where nothing really gets accomplished? How do you deal with things under pressure? Do you have a support system in place?
3. If you are a mystic planner, what do you do when you wake up? How do you know what needs your immediate attention? What does your diary look like? How many new opportunities arise in your day?
The key is to be open to another way. No one way is perfect. They all have their pros and cons, but the most important is maintaining a sense of presence in all you do. That is where we have control, this is where we can make pivotal changes and have the pleasure of creating magic. Create the magic team; this is what we are here to do in our various sectors and specialisms, and watch portals open to experiences and opportunities you would least expect.
Mary Patricia Smiley, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Mary is a Holistic Guide teacher and mentors with a background in Corporate HR & Marketing. After quitting her last HR job after ten days due to irreconcilable differences with management, she escaped to Morocco to consider her next step as she knew another corporate role would reap the same result - it was time to just not search for a job but to seek the purpose. After a few weeks of deep soul searching, journaling and contemplation, a new path was born. Upon returning home, she trained to be a yoga teacher. Her journey took another life-changing turn when she discovered Human Design and Gene Keys. The contemplations and deep transmissions enabled her to feel into the aspects of her inner landscape that she felt restricted growth and expansion - she examined the changes over many years and realized that this would be the lifelong work that she would share with others.
After immersing herself deeply into the teachings, she recognized that there was a need for this work within the wellness sphere of the corporate workforce, having been one of those stressed people. It had such a dramatic impact on her life; she developed her own system to help others combat inner conflict in order to magnetize the life they desire. Most of the work is based on managing fluctuating emotional states to cultivate desire; through the modalities of Human Design, Gene Key contemplations, neuroscience tools, and embodied mindful practices.
Mary Patricia is a strong believer that inner alchemy is the catalyst for embodied energetic synergy. She teaches her clients how to shift out of spiraling emotional mindset patterns to feeling the spaciousness that clarity can bring, which grows through desire. The majority of her work has a deep focus on managing fluctuating emotions and shifting quickly to a space of ease, flow, and abundance.
