A question from a 2011 diversity conference I attended is especially haunting now, 10 years later. Fareed Zakaria, speaking at the PwC event in Washinton, D.C., asked, “do you ever feel like you’re living in a Third World country?”
At the time, it seemed so preposterous. But even then, he gave examples that resonated. More than occasional power failures. Less than optimally maintained roads. Shortages of key supplies.
A decade later, unfortunately, his question seems more on point than ever.
It took three months this summer to get a new washer and dryer at home. The power goes off frequently enough at our house that I open the garage door well in advance if I have an especially important event to drive to. Our rescue dog needs an ongoing medication, which can take anywhere from two days to two weeks to get a refill. There’s more, but I’ll stop here.
And that’s just the personal side. The professional side often feels equally chaotic. And let’s not get started on the many distressing news headlines, such as military actions, climate change, and the pandemic.
Short of stomping around the world angry all the time, what can be done at the individual level?
Here are three strategies for navigating through chaos …
- Be kind to yourself and others. Essentially, most people are struggling right now, for a variety of reasons. Asking people how they’re doing, genuinely listening to their response, and offering support go a long way. Extending the same grace to yourself helps too.
- Build in extra time. Don’t wait until an appliance or a prescription or a relationship is on its last legs. Put in for the renewal well ahead of time. That way, there’s plenty of extra time for the inevitable bumps in the road. There’s time for recovery.
- Balance standards and completion. Not every task has to be done to 100% perfection. Identify what needs to be completed at a certain standard, and what is good enough. Subscribe to the mantra that “done is better than perfect.”
How about you? What are ways that you navigate chaos?
Recent Comments