The Limitations of Man

Realistic planning has every chance of being successful, while emotional planning is almost certain to be doomed to failure.

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821), the erstwhile Emperor of France, is famously known to have said: ‘Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools.’ However, Napoleon’s own history refutes the veracity of this saying. In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia with an army of 600,000 men. But, his plan to capture Russia was unsuccessful, because he could not foresee the harshness of the Russian winter which proved overwhelming for the French army. The majority of the troops died and Napoleon’s invasion failed miserably.

As a general principle Napoleon’s saying was correct. However, human beings have certain limitations. When you are planning your goal or target, you should be determined and look on the bright side of things. But, at the same time, you have to take into consideration the practical realities you may have to face in the course of executing your plan. Therefore, you have to plan for your goal in a realistic manner and not simply on the basis of your aspirations.

Every goal is achievable in this world, provided your plan does not derive solely from your ambitions. This means that you should carefully study the pros and cons of the situation and allow for all those practical hurdles which you may have to surmount in the implementation of the plan.

There are two kinds of planning: realistic planning and emotional planning. Realistic planning has every chance of being successful, while emotional planning is almost certain to be doomed to failure.