Michael Schnabel

What do you do when an obstacle presents itself? Scream or punch the wall or ignore it? I do not remember hitting any walls, but I have done the rest and more. These reactions can add a lot of drama and resentment if you start blaming everything around you, but do they help or provide a solution? You are shaking your head no, so maybe we should look at another approach.

Something I taught in business planning was you should not waste time reacting to a challenge. A better idea is to create a plan to overcome it and you already do this all the time. There is something you want, so you figure out how to get it. What we wanted was for Stephanie to survive and lead a healthy life. As our team talked about how to reach these goals, something incredible started to happen. Our emotions began to soften as hope and belief began to replace shock and helplessness. The planning, action steps, and belief were helping us set aside the worry and fear.

The first thing we needed to do was to find the right medical professionals to add to Steph’s support team. By discussing it, we came up with ways to find them. Those became our action steps. Do not get tied down with all the details. Start with simple logical steps to move forward. What are your resources? Who do you know that can help? How can you network with others to get their expertise?

You already know that plans can change, so update them as you go. Why is that so important? A living plan grows as you learn more and add to it. The more specific you make the plan, the easier it is to focus on. So who is going to do what? Good question. Who is most qualified or has connections, or has the time to do it? When does it need to be done? Determine when it is needed and what is realistic. My experience is that a good plan reduces anxiety and builds confidence. That is important when facing a challenge. 

Here is something important to remember. Celebrate your victories! Think of rewards when you move forward. You know if you are in crisis there is a lot of negative stuff raining down on you. Celebrating anything positive helps you balance the challenges. I promise if you look hard enough for positive things, you will find them. Hey, I have got a kick-ass support team! Whoo Hoo!!! Let's go out to dinner and celebrate. Or maybe, I stayed positive all day long, so I deserve ice cream.

So let’s recap: 

• Stop reacting and create a plan. 
• Define what you want, steps to achieve it, who is doing it, and when.
• Make adjustments and add things to keep it a living plan.
• Celebrate everything positive that happens.

Thank you for reading. Please forward this to others who may enjoy it. I welcome any questions, suggestions, or comments. Your feedback is appreciated and encouraged. 

See you at my next post!