Five steps to deal with unplanned obstacles

After the last blog about the not quite so perfect family weekend, I remembered a similar experience last summer. It was a planned family weekend too and it was also about what happens when plans remain plans and everything turns out differently.

We had it all planned in detail. We were full of excitement. It was supposed to be the perfect family weekend. Even the weather forecast was fantastic. On Saturday two relaxing garden parties with lots of children had been planned. The first with friends and the second with family. There would have been many children at both events, which is a very important point when you have children of your own. The more kids to play with, the happier they are. And on Sunday a trip to the sea was planned - ice cream and pizza included. 

But our son Leevi had other plans

On Friday afternoon before the weekend my wife called me at work and told me that Leevi had the chickenpox. Perfect timing. Of course, our plans were obsolete, because first of all the little one felt really bad and secondly children with infectious diseases should not be taken on garden parties and family trips. Of course, nobody was to blame for the whole mess, but we were still annoyed.

So I finally sat at his bed on Sunday evening and tried to get him to sleep. And I wondered if there were any similarities between this father experience and all the leadership topics I write about. My answer to this thought and the essence of this weekend was that sometimes unpleasant things happen and no one can be held responsible.

Shit happens, but how do you handle it best? The following five steps came to my mind.

1. Optimism: Don't complain, because no one likes to be with whining people. And it doesn't help either.
2. Reality check: Check if your plans can still be achieved despite of everything.
3. Acceptance: If the answer to step two is yes, then continue. If the answer is no, accept that. 
4. Adaptation: Forge new plans or adapt existing ones so that you can better adapt to the new situation.
5. Joy: Look forward to the new plan and do not mourn after the old.

Thoughts control feelings, which is why it can be as simple as these five steps in most cases. So, as a result, it was a super nice family weekend for us.

What do you think? Let me know!