Making it Work for You
Adapting to the Unplanned and Unexpected
Jamal had his day all planned. He was going to run in the morning, followed by a nice breakfast before work, and after he got off he planned to meet some friends for dinner, and stop by the grocery store before heading home.
But then, life got in the way.
As expected, Jamal woke up early, but to his surprise, so did his grandma. So instead of running, he spent the morning explaining to her over Facetime how to set up her new TV. After handling that, he checked the time and realized he was running late, so his “nice” breakfast became half a granola bar, on the way out the door to work. He arrived 30 minutes late, and was yelled at by his boss. Jamal worked late in order to make up for the time he missed, and when he left, his friends had already met up and finished half their dinner.
Sometimes, Jamal is me. And I’m willing to bet that sometimes, Jamal is you too. And like Jamal, no matter what plans we have for ourselves, other people’s plans for us takeover. When that happens again and again, exhaustion and fatigue become the norm, and neglecting yourself becomes a regularity.
Now, unfortunately we aren’t able to control other people’s plans and actions, but the one thing we can control is ourselves. Our responses and reactions to an unplanned event is central to the overall outcome of the situation, and if we can master that, we can handle the unexpected, no matter what it may be.
To do this, one must embrace the idea of making it work for you.
Now, that doesn’t mean that you always get your way. Making it work for you allows you to adapt to an unplanned situation and maintain more control of your day, even when others try to takeover.
Here’s an example:
Stacy had three things she wanted to accomplish today: Going to the gym, meeting her mother for lunch, and buying an early birthday gift for her little sister. But before she could even start, her elderly neighbor called, needing help fixing her refrigerator, and her uncle needed a ride to the dentist because his car wouldn’t start.
Instead of dropping everything to attend to those new issues, Stacy adapts to the unexpected, and maintains her control. She calls her neighbor and asks if she can swing by after her time at the gym. Then she picks up her little sister’s birthday gift on the way to pick up her uncle. Lastly, she texts her mother to see if she’s okay with making their lunch plans dinner ones instead.
Stacy didn’t have any control over what the day brought, but she did have control over her own actions. Instead of forgoing her own agenda, she incorporated those unplanned activities into her day, and that's what making it work for you is all about — adapting.
Now, sometimes it’s ok to say no. Although we try, we can’t always do everything. But by learning to adapt this way, some of that lost control will come back to you. Overtime, making it work for you brings the focus back to yourself, and instead of exhaustion, fatigue, and neglect, prioritizing yourself will be the regularity.
