As the game was about to resume, I heard a coach shout encouragingly to his players, “Have a plan!”

The line was delivered in the same way one might shout to a loved one from a platform as the train pulls away, “Call when you get there!”

“Have a plan.” A reminder to trust your training. A reminder to think. Not, “Predict the future.” Not, “Be perfect.” Not, “Don’t screw up.”

But simply, “Have a plan.”

Anticipate. Communicate. Be ready. Be flexible.

The advice extends to all of us in so many of our endeavors.

Hear the coach in your own mind: Have a plan!