| How to Prevent Catastrophes One of the most stressful aspects of managing your life, job or business are those darn SURPRISES. For example, you are going along, believing everything is fine, then WHAM! Your son gets arrested. Your neighbor cuts down your tree. Your car is stolen. Any job can include surprising catastrophes. You get demoted or transferred. Your co-worker falsely accuses you of theft. Your boss screams at you. Management surprises can be the most stressful of all. A key employee suddenly quits. A government agent walks in to do an inspection. Some crazy guy screams at your receptionist and won't leave. Odds are good you will get hit with several surprises in your life. As a result, your forward progress can be stopped. Your production can be blocked. Your success can be ruined. Even worse, the more successful you are, or the bigger your business becomes, the more often you might be hit with surprises. Bad Solutions You might be so afraid of catastrophes that you take them too seriously. You decide to stop succeeding. To earn less money. To be less aggressive, less intense or less passionate. You believe that if you are small and insignificant, people will leave you alone. But of course, they just hunt you down. Another bad approach is to get upset when a catastrophe occurs. You act like a victim or a coward. Yet this often makes the problem even worse. You seem to attract even more surprises. Getting numb is another bad solution. You might want to use drugs or alcohol to deaden your feelings. You try to turn off the world. But this hurts your success as you need to perceive and think with clarity if you wish to succeed. Constantly worrying makes your life miserable. You spend so much time thinking about problems and potential catastrophes that you are blind to the opportunities that surround you. Luckily, you can reduce your stress and worry by planning ahead. Surprise Insurance "A catastrophe occurs by lack of prediction of a possible circumstance. Those things planned for do not become catastrophes." -- L. Ron Hubbard Your best insurance is to predict and plan for catastrophes IN ADVANCE. Once you have a plan for handling every conceivable surprise, you can relax. When you have a plan for a disaster, you are ready for it. Instead of reacting to the problem, while upset and prone to making mistakes, you take command of the situation. You resolve it with your plan. Your prosperity continues. For example, as a boss, you learn a former employee is suing you. If you planned for this possibility in advance, you would know exactly what to do. Your paperwork would be filed and organized. Your lawyer would send a copy of your paperwork to the employee's attorney. The employee's attorney would see you had done everything right and drop the case. As another example, you can't sleep because you MUST get to work on time to give a presentation. So instead of tossing and turning in your bed, you turn on the lights. You write down every reason you might be late. You plan how to handle each. You set two alarm clocks and a wind-up alarm in case the power goes out. You figure out another way to get to work in case your car won't start. You lay out your clothes and set up your coffee maker. You are now prepared! You get in bed and instantly fall asleep. The same principle works on a personal level. For example, Joe is worried his wife will be angry when she finds out he quit his job. He plans a way to explain it to her so she can understand his reasons. He also plans on how to respond to anything she says to him. Joe stops worrying and goes home. When he first gives her the news, he is ready for a bad reaction, but she is fine. Because he planned for a catastrophe, it does not happen. They discuss their finances and make plans for his job search. Recommendations 1. Make a list of all the catastrophes you expect may happen to you. Include everything that makes you worry. Small things, big things, anything you can think of. 2. Next to each item on your list, write up a plan to handle it. Some potential catastrophes require a single preparation step. Others need a detailed, 20-step plan. 3. As you do this exercise, you may feel uncomfortable and nervous. Just keep working on it. As you plan out more solutions and get prepared, you will feel more relaxed and confident than ever before. You become ready for anything! 4. After you finish, you will probably think of more things to add to your list. So keep it handy. 5. Each time you feel stressed or worried about a potential problem, add the potential surprise to your list. If it's already on the list, simply add more preparation steps until you are no longer worried. 6. Review the list every few months. When you review old solutions, you think of new preventive steps and better solutions. Biggest Benefit "A catastrophe occurs by lack of prediction of a possible circumstance. Those things planned for do not become catastrophes." -- L. Ron Hubbard That's right! Because you have planned for the surprises on your list, they won't happen to you. Most people don't believe this is true. However, write down your plans and see for yourself. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2007 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here. TipsForSuccess.org · 615 South Highway 49 · Jackson · CA · 95642 Forward this article to a friend Updates Home Return to Links to Other Artist Link to Carl's Art Pages |
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Carl Watts, Nutrition Response Testing Certified, WFG Associate,
Nutritionist, Artist, Designer, Problem Solver, Writer, Publisher, inventor
4120 Big Tujunga Canyon Rd.
Tujunga, CA 91042
Nutritionist, Artist, Designer, Problem Solver, Writer, Publisher, inventor
4120 Big Tujunga Canyon Rd.
Tujunga, CA 91042
Page modified 5/24/08
A big jerk at your work place is demanding you do part of his job without pay or credit. How do you handle it? Your neighbors wake you up in the middle of most nights with screams and curses. What do you say to them? Your father constantly criticizes your work and tells you what you should do. How do you deal with him? Difficult people are part of everyone's life. Employers and employees can't get along. Partners clash over money. Spouses cannot resolve disagreements. If you ignore these situations, they get worse. Employees get fired, partnerships and marriages break up, everyone is miserable. If you attack the person, at least you are trying to fix the problem. However, anger gives you a bad name, makes people afraid of you and prevents honest communication. Prepare to Succeed "THE SUCCESS OF ANY EVENT IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE TIMELY PREPARATION." -- L. Ron Hubbard By getting organized and working out a plan of action, handling people becomes much easier. The following seven steps can help you handle the difficult people in your life. 1. Make the decision to face up to the person directly and by yourself. 2. Write down the exact problem you need to handle and your goal for the confrontation. Examples: "Joe is refusing to pay me despite our agreement." "Chris drives me crazy with her continual complaining." "Bob may be telling people that my work is inferior and I am dishonest." 3. Write down a goal for the meeting. "By the end of the meeting, I want . . . ." Examples: "Joe pays me in full." "Chris stops complaining or leaves." "Learn the truth about Bob's comments and if true, get him to stop it." "Decide if I want this person as a friend." 4. List the of points you need to make to support your goal: facts, reasons and explanations you may need the other person to understand. For example, to get Joe to understand why he must pay you, you might make these points: A.) Joe requested the service. B.) Joe signed an agreement to pay for the service. C.) We provided the service as promised. D.) Joe was happy with the service. 5. Write down objections, reactions or disagreements the other person may have. Include everything you are afraid might happen during the meeting. Putting specific concerns and fears in writing reduces their impact on you. For each objection, reaction or disagreement you expect will happen, write a solution of how you will deal with each. 6. Arrange the meeting where you will not be disturbed, preferably in a space you control. 7. Start the meeting. Look the person directly in the eye. Explain the specific problem you want to resolve as you noted in Step 2. Go over your first point on the list from Step 4. Listen carefully to the other person and make certain they feel understood. Hold a position on your points. Use your solutions to their reactions that you worked out in Step 5. Continue describing your points from Step 4. Keep listening to the person's side and look for solutions. Do not give up. Communicate and persist for as long as it takes to reach your goal. The more frequently you confront and handle difficult people, the easier it becomes. The amount of time it takes to prepare for a confrontation decreases. You become strong and tough. When you confront and handle everyone around you, people respect you for your courage, your honesty and your control. Your associates, employees or coworkers follow your example and become more productive. Your enemies either become harmless or become friends. Taking positive organized action, despite fear, is the kind of courage all successful people must have to succeed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2008 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here. TipsForSuccess.org · 615 South Highway 49 · Jackson · CA · 95642 Forward this article to a friend Updates Home Return to Links to Other Artist Link to Carl's Art Pages |
| CARLWATTSARTIST.COM "TipsForSuccess.org" How to Handle Bullies, Complainers, Critics and Whiners |
Carl Watts, Nutrition Response Testing Certified, WFG Associate,
Nutritionist, Artist, Designer, Problem Solver, Writer, Publisher, inventor
4120 Big Tujunga Canyon Rd.
Tujunga, CA 91042
Nutritionist, Artist, Designer, Problem Solver, Writer, Publisher, inventor
4120 Big Tujunga Canyon Rd.
Tujunga, CA 91042
Page created 5/24/08