Over the years, we have all heard a similar phrase from parents, instructors or some other adult authority figures: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

Clearly, to get what you want in life, you need an idea of what you need to do in order to achieve your goals. But fully formed plans with structure and timelines can often end up being defeatist or causing you to feel like a failure when things don't work out.

For example, I know a young lady who is all about her "plan." At the time she first told me about it, she was 25. Over the next two years, she was going to meet her man and marry him. They would enjoy their newly married lives for a few years and then she would have children; two or three -- however many she could pop out by age 34 and then she would go back to her professional goals. She is now a 33-year-old, very successful woman who is single with no kids. Still, she has a plan - she just changed the date and year range!! She is determined to make her plan work, no matter how long it takes.

I had a plan too. When I graduated, I was going to get cool job in radio, work my way up and save half my salary until I had nice nest egg (in about five years). Then, I would marry my college sweetheart who, by that time, would just be finishing her doctorate program. We would have a couple of kids, then she would get a job as an FBI profiler and I would be well on my way to national media stardom - all before we turned 30!

Let's see how that worked out: when I graduated, I got a cushy job folding down the denim wall and working the fitting rooms at the GAP ($7.50/hr makes it hard to build that nest egg). And as I approached my 30th birthday, I was broke and unemployed, living with mom and the sweetheart had kicked me to the curb. Needless to say, I gave up on my plan! Fast-forward 15 years after college graduation: I host my own show in a Top 6 market and I write for a very popular website - still no kids and a no wife on the radar though.

Another friend of mine had a plan to be a medical internist. She went through pre-med undergrad and four years of medical school. Then, in her second year of her internship - 10 years into the 12-year process - she quit. Just like that. She realized her "plan" to become a doctor was never her plan; it was her parent's plan all along. She went back to school, got a master's in public health administration and loves her life direction.

I share these stories to let you know that while there's nothing inherently wrong with a plan, I would not be where I am today if I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted and a concept of what's necessary to move forward. Let your "plan" be like water -- free flowing and able to alter direction as the path changes. Figure out what you want out of life and figure ways to get it done and remember the saying: "Want to see God laugh? Make a plan!"

What were your plans when you were younger? Have you been able to see them to fruition? I'm interested in hearing from you - do you believe that plans work out or should we just go where life takes us?