This afternoon I sat outside with my older son.  He ate potato chips while I tried to think of the right things to say.  He’s been bummed out about something at school and in my infinite wisdom I had decided that he just needed a better plan.

As I scripted the dialogue for him, all the way down to a meaningful pause, I noticed that he’d started to tear up a little bit.

“I know bud,” I said.  “This is a bummer, but we’ll figure it out.”

He looked up and shook his head.  “No Daddy,” he said.  “That’s not it.  I’m upset because you don’t think I can handle this myself.”

Like a rocket into the brain.  Of course.

So many times in life we think that we need a better plan.  We read it, we hear it; we may even be told this by well-meaning nincompoops like yours truly.

But maybe we don’t need a better plan.  Maybe we just need to trust ourselves.

Whatever it is, you can probably handle it.  Start now.