Stress, The Plane, and A Crash Landing (3 tips to navigating turbulence in your plans)

We make "GREAT" plans. We start to execute on them, and in the beginning everything is smooth sailing. Then comes turbulence.

I spend a lot of time on a plane and turbulence is just part of the deal. Sometimes the turbulence is negligible and other times you find yourself confessing every sin you've ever committed and promising to change your ways if this plane finds land safely!

Even though I'm pretty accustom to turbulence, the thought, "Are we going to make it?", still comes. " Because of my experience with turbulence I typically send that thought away quickly and go back to business as usual.

However, just like every flight has some measure of turbulence, every plan will also experience turbulence. Every time turbulence comes you'll find yourself asking whether or not it will crash your plan.

Turbulence says, "something in our plan isn't going to work and thus our plan won't work." Depending on the specific type of turbulence you hit, you either quickly get past it or find yourself wallowing in the "potential demise" of everything!

The saving grace: It's normal, and if you're experiencing it someone else has too. It's been safely maneuvered before and you can safely maneuver it now.

Here's 3 practical tips to dealing with turbulence:

1. Deep Breath: Take one or maybe 10. Realize that this moment is just a moment. 

2. Time: Reaction is the best way to make a bad decision. Before you act or make monumental decisions, let some time pass. Time has a unique way of clearing the skies and unveiling new solutions. 

3. The Advice: Find a "pilot" that has navigated the type of turbulence you're in and get some advice. It's said that "hindsight is 20/20." This is a way to have 20/20 vision into your situation.