The Right Tool for the Job

I live in the middle of the prairie states. This means that weather changes fast and can have life-altering consequences. It can be sunny but -35 outside; or sunny and, five minutes later, with 120 mph straight-line winds.

For this native Californian, whose weather vocabulary consisted of sunny and less sunny, preparing for sudden weather changes required a steep learning curve.

We often drive through farm country to get from one city to the next, and car safety bags are always recommended. These bags have the few things you will need in an emergency. As you might have guessed, the need changes with the weather season:

• Summer brings tornadoes, derechos, and floods
• Winter brings squalls, ice, and snow-related calamities

Application to other areas of life

Just like I have different bags for different weather, I have different philosophies for different life seasons. My car bags always have food, water, and a change of clothes – and my mental bag for life’s challenges has three approaches: Reframe, Reschedule, or Reduce.

Reframe

Think of the situation at hand, then imagine using the same kind of crop tool you would use for photo editing. Now mentally crop the situation until you have some clear pictures of what you are working with.

Not every situation, no matter how unpleasant, is a problem, so there might not be a solution. Some mitigation strategies may just be needed to help focus the outcome. Changing the focus of your attention, just like with photos, can make a huge difference.

Reschedule

So many things are much harder if you don’t have the right mindset. I discovered in college that getting up at 3:00am to work on a paper with no distractions was easier than staying up until 3:00am to do so, because I was easily distracted by the comings and goings of the house. Taking a beat to unwind and get in the right headset made a huge difference in both the amount of time it took to do the work and in the quality of work.

I still use this strategy when I have deadlines or things that need my undivided attention to plan out. Or I’ll reschedule time with people if I’m not in the mental state to deal with a beloved but annoying person in my life. We all have at least one.

Reduce

Another approach to life challenges is to reduce. Note I did not say eliminate, because sometimes there are just people and situations that cannot be avoided. You can, however, reduce your interaction. Set boundaries and time limits. Or you can reduce your involvement to better support your life right now.

Approaching new challenges

Life is ever changing, and what works today may not be the answer tomorrow. Just as there are different approaches to dealing with the weather, I have learned that by being prepared, I can be more flexible in how I take on new and often exciting challenges.