Identify Your Situation, Then Act Quickly to Find a Solution
Be decisive and act now to achieve your goals so that you will not miss the flight of opportunities as you journey for a daily experience of success.
Howard Hanniford
As I was recording my audiobook, Moments Matter, when I got to chapter nine, Risk Assessment, It took me a longer than the other chapters to record.
When I was reading, I started to get emotional as I went back to the moment when we wrote it. I had to dig deep as I recounted key moments in my life when I made “deposits,” so on January 15, 2009, I was able to make one massive “withdrawal” to survive the plane crash and ultimately out of 36 degree water.
Things can happen so quickly, especially during a plane crash. No one ever expects to be in a plane crash or car accident. We never expect these things, but if they do happen, you need to be able to make decisions quickly. You need to identify what is happening and assess the risks immediately.
I was first exposed to this principal idea a long time ago. I first heard about it from our high school’s Kiwanis representative. He was our sponsor in the Kiwanis Club, and he was all about assessing risk and building a Key Club. I had never heard of the concept before. He worked in life insurance and had his own insurance agency.
He always talked about risk, which was understandable. Life insurance is all about risk assessment. The whole purpose of insurance is to offset risk and protect you from the negative consequences of a crisis. Knowing the right coverage is all about assessing the potential risks. Risk assessment is not just an insurance skill, though. In a situation like ours, as the plane starts to go down, you must assess your options very quickly.
The more you understand the situation, the more resourceful you can be and the more options and choices you will have. The best leaders in the world are the ones who use the resources they have. They do not complain, postpone actions, or blame others. They act, decide, and get it done. Too many people blame others for failing to act and complain about the things they do not have.
A lot of people fell into that trap during COVID-19. They were throwing their hands up and surrendering because they did not have the things they were used to having. Yes, typical income and resources decreased during the pandemic, but at the same time, the most remarkable growth explosion in the world happened as well.
In the face of adversity, people became resourceful.
After the plane crash, I realized my mission. I knew in my soul that He had me on that plane for a reason. He put everybody on that plane and in their certain seat for a reason. My seat was 15A. Whether it was because he needed somebody to go back and check on people or for some other purpose, I know that He put me there for a reason.
I learned a long time ago in business, from my first sales vice president, that sometimes getting to zero or just breaking even is a good day. To be a leader, you have to believe you can handle it. Everything in your life has led up to this specific moment. Make the decision, resolve yourself to it, and see that you and those around you get it done.
When I coach, mentor, or conduct a workshop, I show my audience how to gather the tools, form a resilient mindset, and build the habits they will need to face those defining moments to get it done and win.
Win in business, win in your health, win financially, win with your relationships.
Assess your situation, determine what tools and resources you will need, and take massive action now, not later, tomorrow, when the weather is nicer, or when you have some spare time. If it truly matters, then it matters now. Action tomorrow is less valuable than action today, especially since tomorrow is never guaranteed. You have today, so use it and make the best of it.
Embrace the Uncertainty of the situation; Possibilities will open up, Opportunities and choices will arrive, and the Transformation of your business or life begins.