Ever mapped out the perfect five-year plan, only to watch life laugh and toss it in the shredder? You’re not alone. From my own zigzagging veterinary career to just about everyone else’s story—careers, relationships, moves—nothing unfolds like the script. And guess what? That’s not a bug; it’s the feature that makes life petrifying, thrilling, and downright fun. Let’s unpack why ditching the plan might be your best move yet.
Introduction: My Unplanned Veterinary Odyssey
When I graduated from Purdue Veterinary School in 2001, I had it all figured out. I wanted to be a mixed-animal veterinarian in West Virginia—my home, surrounded by the mountains I loved, doing small and large animal work for life. That’s it. That was the dream, set in stone.
Instead, life hit play on full improv mode. I started in a small animal clinic in Huntington, but soon launched mobile large-animal calls (cows don’t care about your schedule), founded my own mixed practice with boarding kennels, stumbled into teaching equine studies at Ohio University, built vet tech programs from scratch at Mountwest, led veterinary nursing at Purdue with a distance-learning boom, and now direct operations at Iowa State’s Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center. Every pivot? A surprise “Hey, you should…” from a colleague or spotting a gap no one else saw. West Virginia forever? Nope—now I’m in Ames, Iowa, loving it. No roadmap survived, and I’m better for it.
What started as a simple clinic gig morphed into entrepreneurship, academia, and hospital leadership. I never planned to teach, build programs, or move states—but those detours shaped me more than any checklist could. It’s humbling to admit: Sometimes the best path is the one you wander into.
Your Career: Pinball, Not Highway
Now, rewind your own professional tape. That dream gig you locked in during school? Did it stick, or did a “disaster” like a layoff or surprise opportunity bounce you somewhere better? Careers aren’t linear highways; they’re pinball machines—ricocheting off bumpers labeled “reorg,” “burnout,” or “serendipitous coffee chat.” Be honest: If you trace your dots backward, were your biggest breaks the ones you plotted, or the wild detours? I bet the “failures” were cosmic reroutes to gold.
Think about it—we stress over LinkedIn-perfect paths, but reality’s a comedy of errors. That boss who drove you nuts? Probably shoved you toward independence. The industry you swore off? Now it’s your niche. It’s hilarious how we romanticize control when surrender delivers the goods. Study any leader’s bio—Steve Jobs got fired from his own company, Oprah got demoted early on, J.K. Rowling collected rejection slips. Plot twists built empires. Your “steady forever” plan? Adorable, but life had bigger laughs in mind.
I’ve lived it: Thought I’d stay local forever, but each unexpected shift—from mobile vetting to directing a teaching hospital—unlocked skills and opportunities I didn’t know I had. Take a moment: What’s your pinball story? That flop that felt like the end? Probably your origin story for something great.
Relationships: The Ultimate Recalculating GPS
Relationships follow the same script, different cast. You meet “the one,” plan the future… then poof—breakup city. Petrifying at the time, but that detour introduced your actual soulmate at the grocery store (or Tinder, no shame). Families morph too: The kid who swore off your path thrives elsewhere; the empty-nester pivot sparks a bucket-list adventure. Life’s GPS chuckles, “Recalculating… because your itinerary was cute but wrong.”
Here’s the humor: We clutch vision boards like lifelines, yet the best bonds bloom unplanned. That friend who became family after one late-night rant? Divine accident. The mentor from a canceled flight? Fate’s Post-it note. Embrace it—rigidity breeds regret; flow forges connections that stick. Your “close to home forever” crew? Might expand in ways you never imagined.
For me, moving states meant leaving lifelong friends, but new networks formed—colleagues turned confidants, clients became community. It’s proof: The people who matter show up when you’re open, not when you’re scripted.
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Moves and Milestones: Detours to Dream Spots
Ever chased a “home for life” spot, hating every unpacked box, only to discover your forever place? Or swore you’d never leave your roots, like I did with West Virginia, only to thrive in a new state? Milestones mock plans too—the “perfect” vacation flops into a memory goldmine; the “disaster” diagnosis births resilience you never knew you had. It’s petrifying not knowing the next exit, but that’s the thrill: Life’s a choose-your-own-adventure where wrong pages flip to epic chapters.
Philosophically, maybe it’s the universe’s design. Call it God, karma, chaos theory—something bigger scripts the detours. We crave certainty because “no idea where this is going” feels like freefall. But freefall builds wings. The fun?
Watching plot twists reveal patterns only hindsight spots. Your “rooted forever” vision? Setup for broader horizons.
My West Virginia-to-Iowa leap felt like exile at first—new weather, new faces. Now? It’s home. Those “wrong” moves expand your world in ways plans never could.
The Philosophical Flow: Surrender to the Surf
Zoom out: Life’s a river, not a railroad. Plans are adorable dams we build, but the current carves canyons. Eastern wisdom nails it—wu wei, “effortless action,” or the Tao’s “go with the flow.” Western spins add spirituality: Proverbs whispers “trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding.” Science chimes in—psych studies show rigid planners burn out faster; adapters thrive.
It’s petrifying because humans hate uncertainty (blame caveman brains). But flip it: No plan means infinite possibility. That “cool” factor? Waking up to surprises. Yesterday’s terror—”I’ll never leave West Virginia!”—is today’s “thank God I did.” Flow doesn’t mean flailing—it means openness: Say yes to the nudge, trust the network, laugh at the flop. Rigidity starves serendipity; surrender feeds it. Makes life interesting, fun, and full of wonder.
In my world, “yes” to unplanned gigs led to leading teams, innovating programs, and growth I couldn’t engineer. It’s not luck—it’s leaning into the flow.
Why It’s Fun (And How to Ride the Wave)
Here’s the payoff: Unplanned life’s interesting because it’s yours—raw, ridiculous, rewarding. No spoilers, just suspense. Petrifying? Sure, until you see the blessing. Funny? Absolutely—retell that “steady job forever” flop at parties; it’s comedy gold. Cool? Landing spots, people, and versions of you that you never dreamed, far from where you thought you’d be.
Practical tips to flow like a pro:
- Audit the detours: List three “disasters” that rocked. Spoiler: They’re wins now.
- Ditch the death grip: Next curveball, breathe and ask, “What’s this teaching?”
- Network ninja: That casual chat? It’s your next chapter’s author.
- Celebrate the chaos: Journal the laughs—life’s too short for straight lines.
- Spiritual surf: Whatever your higher power, chat daily. “Lead me” beats “my way.”
Next time anxiety whispers “but the plan!”, chuckle back: “Plans are for pencils; life’s for living.” You’ve survived every twist so far—odds are, the next one’s your best yet. From West Virginia dreamer to Iowa leader, I’m proof.
What’s your wildest “never saw it coming” story? Drop it in the comments; let’s laugh and learn together.
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