--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everything was going according to plan…" description: "\"“Everything was going according to plan. What caught me off guard, however, was the fact that this eagerly awaited phase brought a sense of loss to me ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/carolyn-custis-james-17915_anticipated_everything-was-going-according-to-plan-w_1519328.png" --- # Everything was going according to plan. What caught me off… ![“Everything was going according to plan. What caught me off guard, however, was the fact that this eagerly awaited phase brought a sense of loss to me that triggered a whole new wave of soul searching I had not anticipated.” quote by Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/carolyn-custis-james-17915_anticipated_everything-was-going-according-to-plan-w_1519328.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/carolyn-custis-james-17915_anticipated_everything-was-going-according-to-plan-w_1519328.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/carolyn-custis-james-17915_anticipated_everything-was-going-according-to-plan-w_1519328.png) > ““Everything was going according to plan. What caught me off guard, however, was the fact that this eagerly awaited phase brought a sense of loss to me that triggered a whole new wave of soul searching I had not anticipated.”” [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unexpected loss during a much‑anticipated phase can spark deep self‑reflection and a search for meaning. **In simple terms:** Loss can trigger unexpected soul‑searching. Key Takeaway Embrace the introspection that follows surprise. Themes loss self‑reflection unexpected change Mood reflective melancholic Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - career transition - personal crisis - relationship change Key Concepts identity meaning growth Questions to Reflect On - What hidden aspects of yourself emerged? - How can you channel this search into growth? A Different Perspective The feeling may be temporary and not lead to lasting insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anticipated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anticipated/) [Awaited Phase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awaited-phase-5612265/) [Caught Guard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught-guard-274265/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loss Triggered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss-triggered-5612264/) [Soul searching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-searching/) ## Related quotes > [When I was younger, I thought I had to shut myself off, work really hard to cry. I learned after a while that that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/when-i-was-younger-i-thought-i-had-to-shut-myself-off-work-really/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [“I was an asshole. Stupid. I got caught off guard”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-dane/i-was-an-asshole-stupid-i-got-caught-off-guard/) [Lauren Dane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-dane/) > [The only time I flip out is when I'm not prepared. If I'm caught off guard, I can't help it; I start gasping for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not-prepared-if-i-m-caught-off/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [You won't be caught off guard and you won't feel guilty, because you'll be spending money that you've allocated for the occasion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chatzky/you-won-t-be-caught-off-guard-and-you-won-t-feel-guilty-because-you/) [Jean Chatzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chatzky/) > [That was real disrespectful and stupid. But it ain't really catch me off guard. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-pham/if-mike-matheny-ever-went-up-to-me-and-said-hey-you-are-in-i-was/) [Tommy Pham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-pham/) > [When you know what's coming, you can not get caught off guard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-know-what-s-coming-you-can-not-get-caught-off-guard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How do you honestly take pictures being caught off guard and still look cute...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-do-you-honestly-take-pictures-being-caught-off-guard-and-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“How is it possible you have caught me off guard, he seemed to ask. Exactly where have I miscalculated the velocities, how have I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-vaughn/how-is-it-possible-you-have-caught-me-off-guard-he-seemed-to-ask/) [Stephanie Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-vaughn/) > [The thing thats caught me off guard is going to dinner and people asking me for autographs or to take a picture. People coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-manziel/the-thing-thats-caught-me-off-guard-is-going-to-dinner-and-people/) [Johnny Manziel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-manziel/) ## More by Carolyn Custis James > [The strongest statement ever made about women's rights appears on page one of the Bible. God's first words about his daughters established an indestructible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/the-strongest-statement-ever-made-about-women-s-rights-appears-on/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [“Jesus won the war, and the rest of history is simply mopping up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/jesus-won-the-war-and-the-rest-of-history-is-simply-mopping-up/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [The Bible doesn't speak of "women's rights" in the social-political language we're used to hearing today. 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It focuses attention on a global issue that in the wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/women-s-rights-is-an-important-and-challenging-question-for-us-to-be/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [My book in a nutshell is about the deleterious effects of patriarchy down through the ages for women and for men and how the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/my-book-in-a-nutshell-is-about-the-deleterious-effects-of-patriarchy/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [Joy isn't grounded in our circumstances; it is grounded in the unchanging character of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/joy-isn-t-grounded-in-our-circumstances-it-is-grounded-in-the/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [“When the average American says, “I’m starving,” it is a prelude to a midnight raid on a well-stocked refrigerator or a sudden trip to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/when-the-average-american-says-i-m-starving-it-is-a-prelude-to-a/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [“We view men’s gifts as vital to the church. In contrast, we caution women to exercise their gifts discreetly to avoid causing problems or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/we-view-men-s-gifts-as-vital-to-the-church-in-contrast-we-caution/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [“My mother used to tell me, “Things always look worse at night.” For the most part, I believe her. But some of the troubles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-custis-james/my-mother-used-to-tell-me-things-always-look-worse-at-night-for-the/) [Carolyn Custis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-custis-james/) > [In the beginning no power differential existed between male and female. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/when-i-take-up-a-book-i-have-read-before-i-know-what-to-expect-the/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [“Be kinder than anticipated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sravani-saha-nakhro/be-kinder-than-anticipated/) [Sravani Saha Nakhro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sravani-saha-nakhro/) > [In India, because of the huge investments materialising in industry and infrastructure projects, the demand for steel has grown much faster than anticipated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jitin-prasada/in-india-because-of-the-huge-investments-materialising-in-industry/) [Jitin Prasada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jitin-prasada/) > [We predicted the concept of a telephone that isn't tied to a wall or a desk. 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