Are you one of those people who always has a backup plan? Do you make your commitments and focus your energies on one thing, but have an alternative in mind just in case things don't work out with the first one? You might call it "Plan B" or something else, but basically you're hedging your bets and covering yourself in case the situation goes south.

It's not really a bad idea. Certainly this is done in military circles, in the business community, and even in planning for church ministry and programs. Young folk applying to colleges do this as they apply for their first choice schools and then have a list of "safety schools," or backup possibilities. It is, most people would assert, simply a wise course of action.

I've heard of people doing it in their personal lives, as well. When I was…