Dealing with Bumps in the Road

As an introduction, I'd like the reader to know that I'm going to initially relate some of this post to my hockey experiences.  In the end, though, it has little to do with my favorite sport, and more to do with life in general...

If you're one of those who is hoping to hear about bumps in MY road, sorry to disappoint (LOL)...

Naw, it so happened that I came across something the other day, and I actually used its fodder to pen a pretty in depth post over on my CoachChic.com site.  That, though, was approached from a slightly different angle.  (The point of that post was that lots of famous people used momentary failures to fuel their future greatness.)

Both this and my other post stem from an online article done by Brigette Hyacinth, a Small Business Adjustor at SCOTIABANK in Trinidad.  And, while I listed her 20 inspirational quotes in my other post, I'd like to talk about something else at this time.  

That said, I direct your attention to the picture that accompanied Ms Hyacinth's article.  And, giving you a chance to scan that for a moment, I'll promise to catch you on the other side...

Now, an interesting thing...  I've actually based my newly structured hockey website on a formula that looks like the following:

WHAT + HOW = Real RESULTS!

The way I came by that was from a realization that most hockey information sites offer more of the WHAT than anything else.  I mean, you can find tons of info out there, but it mostly shows you WHAT a given skill or drill looks like, with very little help in HOW to really do it.  And, that approach too often leaves players, hockey parents and coaches scratching their heads and wanting for more.  On the other hand, I believe hockey folks are looking for HOW to ultimately look like the fancy skater in a video, or HOW to get a team to execute all the fancy plays demonstrated in an online drill.  In the end, then, my simple formula suggests that it's the combination of WHAT and HOW that'll get you the Real RESULTS.

Okay, hockey aside...  What I failed to realize is that most folks don't believe they're going to experience any bumps in the road.  Ya, take a look at that top sketch, because it's true -- that most people believe their plan is going to work smoothly, or even be a piece of cake.  Having been there and done that -- for over 40-years, I know differently, and that the lower sketch is closer to the truth.  That sketch pretty much represents the way a business runs, how an athlete's quest goes, and how our lives actually work.

Now, I'm not urging paranoia here.  I mean, I'm not suggesting we go through life worrying about the other shoe dropping (although I do a little of that when things are seemingly running well).  What I am suggesting is that we realize ahead of time that the path through any worthwhile venture is more like the lower drawing than the upper one, and that we can do some things towards that end.

As if it was meant to be, I took a break in the middle of writing this post, joining Brenda in bringing our little Raggs out for a quick walk.  At the end of the Raggamuffin's doing his duty, Bren and I stopped to sit on a park bench for a few minutes, where she mentioned being able to recognize where I am in a given project.  Hmmmmmmmmm...  I had to chuckle a bit at that, maybe because I'm so easy to read.  I then, however, went into a longish explanation...  

Little Raggs

I told her about once organizing a hockey tournament that would bring in teams from all over American's Northeast -- like from two Canadian provinces, and five US states.  And man, the logistics were awing -- so much so, that I spent days and late into many nights making sure every little detail was in place.  So much so, in fact, that the rink owner wondered if I wasn't burning myself out with needless work.  Ha.  The way I explained things, though, was that, "I know there are going to be some problems arising as all those teams descend on our rink.  It's inevitable.  One or two problems should be easy enough to handle, but dealing with a lot of them is going to get me thinking about suicide."  In other words, the more I could get under control BEFORE all those teams arrived, the easier it would be for me to breathe and enjoy the tournament experience.

I do that kind of stuff today dealing with my online hockey work, after having continued that practice for decades of running clinics and hockey schools that were pretty intricately put together.  

So again, I'm not suggesting paranoia, but I am suggesting my friends here consider doing as I've just described.  No, you can't control the obstacles a Greater Power might put before you.  However, as I did with that long ago tournament, getting as much as possible organized ahead of time can make it easier for you to deal with the things suggested by that lower sketch.