This week at our school, it felt like the building we lease was falling apart- the roof leaked, an overhead light shorted out, our restroom sink started leaking, and two restroom lights blew out. Oh! Did I mention that our air conditioner needs to be replaced? I spend most of the day fixing problems and calling repairmen. I tried to fix the restroom sink only to find that they installed the piping poorly and they make shifted a situation that eventually caused the leak.
These problem distress, Ester and I because we maintain a very upscale image for our school - that’s hard to do when you have a bucket catching drips of water in the middle of the mat. Keeping a positive outlook on the situation is difficult when we call the property management company four times in a week for four different things and don’t receive a single callback.
It’s so easy to turn around and become self-referential … a victim of circumstance. We have all the evidence we need to become the victim in the paragraph above. Instead, I decided to just roll with it and make it an opportunity to improve the place. It’s so easy to let the little things add up to big things and feel that everything is falling apart.
What to do when everything falls apart
Stop
Just take a moment to reflect. Many times we overreact to situations… building them up in our head to be mountains when actually they’re mole hills. What’s the worst case scenario? Okay, now do everything in your power to avoid that outcome.
Change your frame of reference
Avoid labeling things as a “problem” and downplay the seriousness of it by calling it a situation or better yet an opportunity. Calling something a problem makes you intimately involved. By calling it a situation, it makes you look at it from an objective standpoint, therefore, enabling you to look for a practical solution.
Laugh
Having a sense of humor about situations and our frailties makes handling them easier. By being lighthearted, people around you will relax and creative solutions will surface.
Take Action
Make a list of actions to take and hit the list like you’re working a punching bag. Know that you’re work a plan towards a goal always make me feel more self-assured.
When everything falls apart, it’s time to fit the pieces back together like a jigsaw puzzle. Each action is a piece contributing to the whole. Before you know it, each piece will start falling into place.
These problem distress, Ester and I because we maintain a very upscale image for our school - that’s hard to do when you have a bucket catching drips of water in the middle of the mat. Keeping a positive outlook on the situation is difficult when we call the property management company four times in a week for four different things and don’t receive a single callback.
It’s so easy to turn around and become self-referential … a victim of circumstance. We have all the evidence we need to become the victim in the paragraph above. Instead, I decided to just roll with it and make it an opportunity to improve the place. It’s so easy to let the little things add up to big things and feel that everything is falling apart.
What to do when everything falls apart
Stop
Just take a moment to reflect. Many times we overreact to situations… building them up in our head to be mountains when actually they’re mole hills. What’s the worst case scenario? Okay, now do everything in your power to avoid that outcome.
Change your frame of reference
Avoid labeling things as a “problem” and downplay the seriousness of it by calling it a situation or better yet an opportunity. Calling something a problem makes you intimately involved. By calling it a situation, it makes you look at it from an objective standpoint, therefore, enabling you to look for a practical solution.
Laugh
Having a sense of humor about situations and our frailties makes handling them easier. By being lighthearted, people around you will relax and creative solutions will surface.
Take Action
Make a list of actions to take and hit the list like you’re working a punching bag. Know that you’re work a plan towards a goal always make me feel more self-assured.
When everything falls apart, it’s time to fit the pieces back together like a jigsaw puzzle. Each action is a piece contributing to the whole. Before you know it, each piece will start falling into place.
Sensei Tim Rosanelli
Maximum Impact Karate
(215) 249-3532
www.maximpactkarate.com
timrosanelli.blogspot.com
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