I didn't follow my plan this week. I followed my values instead.

Monday morning, I had a workout scheduled before catching my flight home.

I skipped it.

Not because I was tired. Not because I talked myself out of it. But because I stayed the night at my best friend's, someone I see maybe once or twice a year if we're lucky, was still in her pyjamas with her one-year-old, and the morning was quiet and easy and rare.

So I stayed.

And I didn't think twice about it.

A plan is a tool, not a contract.

When you have a clear understanding of what you actually value (and I mean the real stuff, not the Instagram version of your priorities), flexibility stops feeling like failure. It starts feeling like self-respect.

I value my training. Deeply. It's a non-negotiable part of how I show up for everything else in my life.

But I also value presence. Connection. The kind of morning that doesn't happen on a schedule.

One skipped session doesn't cost me anything. Missing that morning with her would have.

This is where the plan-versus-values conversation gets interesting.

Most of the clients I work with are incredibly disciplined people. They show up. They do the work. But when life asks them to deviate from the plan… a sick kid, a late meeting, a morning like the one I had… they spiral. They feel like they've failed.

That response isn't discipline. It's rigidity.

And rigidity isn't serving you. It's running you.

Knowing your values doesn't mean ignoring your goals. It means you have a lens to evaluate your decisions through, so that when something comes up, you're not panicking. You're just deciding.

The workout wasn't gone. I moved it. I got home, I trained, and I didn't carry a single gram of guilt about the choice I made.

That's the goal—not perfect adherence to a plan, but a clear enough understanding of yourself that you can flex without falling apart.

If every deviation from your plan sends you into a shame spiral, it's worth asking: what are you actually building? Do you have a clear understanding of your priorities and morals?

Get clear on the values. The plan follows from there.

Olivia Oneid

Coach, Master Athletic Performance