It all began 19 days ago today; I was rushed to the hospital for extreme pain from two acute blood clots in my left leg. I thought to myself, this was not a significant concern, after all I have surgery for another issue the following day with a guarantee of a 48 hour turn-around for discharge. Besides, medicine and prayer fix everything. Little did I know that the perfect plan of my time and handling of the matters would not be so flawless.
The reason for this is that following my first operation,
complications occured. I was told I would be discharged in just a couple more days. Those couple days turned into 7 days, then 10, then 12, then another surgery! At this point in time I have no idea in the slightest as to how soon before I will be discharged. It was shared with me this morning that I will be hospitalized at a minimum of 7 more days at the very least!
"What's This Got To Do With Me?"
By this point you may be questioning what this has to do with yourself, but in actuality it has plenty in common with you.
- We all have to contend with our own daily business challenges.
- No matter how much we plan and organize to avoid any serious business concerns, we can never plan well enough.
We all know that there is one undeniable law it seems some times, Murphy's Law is always waiting right around the corner. This is where many of us err in our thinking over-confident that we have every angle covered.
"Be Confident and Organized Yet Plan For The What if's"
Two of the three basics elements of this article have now been established;
- As business professionals we may be confident in our company's operational procedures and sure we cover all the bases, yet you can rest assured that we are quite likely to overlook the "What if's". It is human nature for us to operate within a fixed comfort level boundary.
- You can never plan well enough. True use of wisdom in one's actions is to never accept the idea that you have the "perfect" plan. There is always room for improvement and consideration of an "unexpected" factor which may have been overlooked.
"The Final Element"
Now we come to the final basic element. With so much going on with the economy today and our constant focus on new business strategies, we have a tendency to over look the "What if's". Yes, it's 'those words' again. It may not be a word in a dictionary or a thesaurus, yet it still holds such a powerful meaning.
I invite you to pause for a moment and think of how many times a day you think to yourelf, "What if...?", ( you fill in the blanks ).
With every decision you make each day, in one way or another your brain will use "What-if" as a tool to develop a new strategy for what you determine to be the best way to reach your goal intended. As you continue reading further, you will discover how a "What-if" is the final element. |
"An Excellent Example?"
The verbiage to follow is an excellent example to demonstrate how it is our nature to assume we have overlooked nothing;
The PR Manager for a Fortune 500 company is in charge of her employer's representation at a global trade show. She feels she has everything plannned with such meticulous detail in preparation, with no possible risk of something to go wrong. She covered EVERYTHING...or so she thinks.
To the young lady's surprise, the evening she is to leave on her flight to the trade show and with no hint of warning, she is suddenly racked with unbearable pain in her abdomen. The level of pain increases rapidly and she is rushed to the hospital. After examination by the doctors, the young lady is rushed to the operating room for immediate surgery, her appendix had ruptured.
The following morning the young lady awakens, still groggy and puzzled, having no idea of what has transpired. When she has finally gained full awareness of her current status, she realizes that she will be unable to be at the trade show for her employer. This is of no concern because she trained one of her sub-ordinate staff to cover for her in case of any sudden emergency.
The doctors assure the young lady of being discharged the following day, but before the sun has even begun to rise to its full shining glory for the day, complications developed which required immediate attention.
It turns out that the antibiotic being used in the IV for the youg lady caused a serious allergic reaction. The end result from all this turned out to be 11 more days of observation and treatment.
"The Point Of All This - Something To Learn From"
There is no room in business today to allow yourself to become lacadasical and comfortable with what has already proven it works. When it comes to planning in every aspect of your business, you must always play "The Devil's Advocate" and run through potential "What if's" with your planned project or task.
Both situations used as analogies in this article are factual. These analogies provide undeniable fact of how you must never become too "comfortable", thinking you have all the answers. Even with all of the careful planning made to ensure no "unexpected" challenges, both myself and the young lady fell prey to our own assumptions..
The catalyst to help you bring your business to incredible new levels of sucess is quite simple. Memorize or write the following three statements on a note card to reflect upon throughout the day. Read or reflect upon these statements repeatedly day, starting with the moment you arrive at the office and sit down to begin work.
These statements will serve as a catalyst to the beginning of a constant positive change in your life and business. They will help you to handle the "What if's" far more effectively with productive results.
- It is human nature for us to operate within a fixed comfort level boundary of business operations. We must ALWAYS allow our minds to push further than ever before every day in our creative thinking processes.
- Never think you are the "Wise Man" and be closed to striving for improvement. "You can always tell who the fools are by asking a wise man."
- Relax, close your mouth, and listen to your mind. You might just find that multi-million dollar idea that someone else always seems to find first!
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ADDENDUM - 8 June, 2009
I was discharged from the hospital 4 weeks after my experience there
began...and re-admitted again 3 days later for emergency treatment and
7 more days of hospitalization. I went in the hospital still able to
walk, even though it was with a cane for limited spans of distance. I
left the hospital with the word "paraplegia" on the discharge
notes. Yes, you read that right, I now am confined to a wheelchair, or
should I say given freedom with the wheelchair.
To most people, being confined to a wheelchair perhaps for the rest
of my life would be a terrible thing to occur yet in actuality it was
a blessing! The reasoning behind that statement is that while I lay in
that hospital bed on my back, unable to sleep on my side or any other position,
all I could do was think, see and hear the other patients and how many
of them abused the nurses who provided nothing but the most premium care
for all of us, and most important of all reflect upon how I have treated
people in the past. It was a rude awakening for me.
It was a blessing to discover that I could take the idea of "what-if"
and turn it on a positive note. What-if when a person insults me now,
I simply smile and perhaps tell them I appreciate their honest candor? What-if
when someone sends me an email while working hard at the office which
showed a unique look of clouds
in the sky that they thought I may enjoy seeing, and take the time to
send a simple message of "Thank you" in return? Is
it that difficult to refrain from contributing to any drama or take an
extra few seconds to show recognition and appreciation?
I am blessed with what happened to me. After all, I still have two arms
that fucntion perfectly fine. Things could have been far worse! To add
to the merriment, just look at the benefits of my situation;
- I have better parking opportunities than most other people now, (when
someone who isn't supposed to be parking in them isn't doing so.)
- While other people are fatigued from waiting in long lines, waiting
to pay a bill, get tickets to a show, or a number of other tasks, I
am just relaxing comfortably in my wheelchair with it's nice padded
seat.
- While people are waiting in long lines at many restaurants and other facilties,
I can go to the front of the line with no waiting.
- While others are walking along a sidewalk or in a building, I am
whizzing by full speed in my manual wheelchair, becoming more fit,
losing weight, and feeling good about myself!
- and this is just the start!
Coming back more to reality here, just as with any situation that occurs
in your life, it all comes down to a choice. I could throw a pity-party
about what has come upon me with my health, which will not change anything,
or I can appreciate the fact I am still alive, have learned so much from
my experience, and am learning so much more as I adjust to the transition
to being in a wheelchair all the time as well as other unexpected fun
of my legs not functioning as before. Whether a challenge be such as
mine or simply a problem in the workplace, it all still boils down to
making a decision of how you will handle it.
I ask you What-if...? The decision is yours...the outcome is the result
of that decision. |