Vikas was an expert at making grand plans. Every month he came up with a new strategy, yet the result was always the same—nothing changed. His friends often joked that Vikas’s plans looked impressive on paper but vanished like air in real life.
This time, Vikas decided that he would completely transform his life. He took out a notebook and wrote in bold letters, “New Plan – The First Step Towards Success.”
The first plan was to wake up early. He set an alarm and imagined himself becoming a perfectly disciplined person. But when the alarm rang in the morning, he closed his eyes, turned it off, and murmured, “Just five more minutes.” Those five minutes never ended, and he woke up two hours later.
The second plan was to exercise daily. Vikas decided to go to the park in front of his house. He even reached the park, but instead of exercising, he sat on a bench scrolling through his phone and said to himself, “Today is just the beginning.”
The third plan was to reduce expenses. Vikas promised himself that he would stop buying unnecessary things. But the same day, he received a message about an online sale that said, “Special Offer – Buy Today!” He thought, “What’s wrong with buying just one thing?” and ended up ordering two or three items.
In the evening, Vikas reviewed his progress. He realized that he had neither woken up early, nor exercised, nor reduced his spending. Holding his head in frustration, he sighed, “Once again, my plan has come to nothing.”
His wife laughed and said, “You always make big plans, but you forget the small efforts needed to fulfill them.”
The next day, Vikas decided that he would start with small steps first. But deep inside, he knew that making grand plans was his habit—and perhaps the same story would repeat itself again.
RAJEEV VERMA 