Everybody is under stress and pressure. Do you feel pressure and stress? Sometimes that stress and pressure is brought on by an unexpected predicament. Sometimes “falling short of a goal” can bring on self-imposed pressure. Sometimes, it’s the pressure and stress of those around you that includes YOU, if only by proximity. You have to deal with it too.
What you might find helpful during these times is keeping a “spare tire” handy. A spare tire is taking a pre-inventory of what you might do when/if there is a change in plans. Yes, those times when unexpected change in direction, a redirection of energy is forced upon you, your department. Some might call it a “contingency plan”. It’s knowing what and why you approached something a certain way. It’s appreciating the logic and the objective you put into place. But sometimes, you have to change direction.
When that “predicament” occurs, this will be of help.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. (Don’t throw out the “good” stuff with the bad or flawed.) Recognize what still is of value, what still has benefit to “going forward”. It also means you had segregated “What still is/what was in your control”. You have the opportunity to also recognize what happened that “was not in your control”. The latter is not an excuse for having fallen short, but an opportunity to more quickly move forward. (This pre-thinking your plan for how to deal with a disappointing predicament is a “spare tire”.) For example, your trip may have been interrupted by a flat tire’ but your pre-thinking of having a real spare tire, gets you on the road sooner…able to get back up to speed. The whole car was not flawed because of a flat tire and you were able to capitalize on what was in your control.
Spare Tires aren’t just for cars.
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