July 19, 1989 was marked by the crash of United Airlines Flight 232. The flight, bound for Chicago had a catastrophic hydraulic system failure causing it to lose control. Miraculously, in spite of the crash landing in Sioux City, Iowa, there were 185 survivors. The fact that most passengers survived was chalked up to a steady stream of good luck. There happened to be a flight instructor on board that was able to assist the crew from the cockpit. The Sioux City airport was isolated with a very open runway surrounded by cornfields. The city’s emergency responders had recently performed a mass casualty scenario exactly like Flight 232. It seemed as though the planets aligned on this day. The story was later used as a team-building case study by a major corporate education firm. It’s what happens when luck, timing, good fortune, karma, and perhaps help from the Man upstairs comes together.
Except that scenarios like this are exceptions, not the rule.
I’m not a pessimistic person by nature, but as time goes on, I am learning to embrace the power of it. Pessimism isn’t negativity, although the two are often used interchangeably. I prefer to define pessimism as trust, but verify. It means that even though you HOPE things will work out, you have a back up plan just in case.
In order to put the Power of Pessimism to use, there are two steps:
- Don’t paint yourself in a corner. Check out my previous post on not getting caught up in a tree. Avoid the following types of scenarios:
You know you can barely afford that car payment not to mention the higher insurance, but you figure that things will work out.
What if you lose your job?
You know down deep inside that if you get into that mortgage you’ll barely have enough money to furnish the house, but you are pretty sure it’s a good investment.
What if the housing market tanks?
Your boss likes you and you think you have job security so you bypass an opportunity to take on a new role.
What if your boss moves on?
You gain a big client that promises to keep you busy so you decide to turn down other business.
What if the champion of your program leaves the company?
You feel you are physically invincible and think you can work forever. You plan your finances and spending accordingly.
What happens when old age and time decides to make an appearance?
- Create a backup plan. Make sure you build in contingencies. I’ve read that Navy SEAL missions are openly debated with each and every possible anomaly discussed and planned for. Then, duplication and triplication is built in to plan. One of their mottoes is “Two is One, and One is None.” It’s why a second chopper was available to evacuate the members of SEAL Team Six when the first chopper hit the wall of Osama bin Laden’s compound and crashed.
What is your fallback plan? How will you handle the loss of a job, market, or client? “Hope” is not a strategy. It’s also not a strategy to be pessimistic all the time and NOT take some chances. Be smart and be balanced here.
This week take a look at your career, your finances, and your future. Are you pessimistically prepared or simply hoping things work out?
