Dear lostandabove:

I agree with what you wrote here: “I am not sure if planning everything is THE solution, because you never know what will come in your way.” Adding to it, I say: get all the information available from all the sources available, place the information in front of you in an organized way, study it, give it time to process and then plan accordingly the best you can. As you execute the plan, keep evaluating it for results and take in new information as it become available, and modify the plan. If it takes cancelling the plan, then cancel it, make a new one. It is a process. True: unpredictable things happen AND you incorporate these unpredictable things into your plan, evaluate it with the new developments in mind, and change, adjust, stick to it or abandon i

I just read the story about your friend. It is not a good way to live, to be too attached to a plan, sure. This is why I suggested flexibility in the paragraph above. And sometimes, need not plan at all. Depending the topic. As far as investment of years in your life: studies, career, planning for such is wise.

anita