Fed up with living in a dark cave, I finally decided to exercise my biceps and unroll all the hurricane shutters that have been down since Gabrielle’s visit and the ‘will he or won’t he’ of Humberto. I had long since crossed that line from precaution to laziness yet as I moaned about the effort I realized, that wet week had been a good dry run for any future blows headed our way this season.Living here, I’m aware of the importance of being prepared for stormy weather. But I ask myself: how well does this ‘strategy’ translate into other areas of my life?How ready are we for those unexpected events, which can arrive without warning, to rock our plans or even decimate our status quo as we know it?A few experiences I heard this week reminded me of just how quickly life can change: a challenging unexpected medical diagnosis… a job termination out of nowhere… the surprise ‘+’ on the pregnancy test that turns out to be twins.Storms (be they squalls or hurricanes) inevitably happen, it’s how we weather them that makes the difference.It would be impossible to plan for every eventuality, life just has too many curve balls it could throw at us. There are, however, some simple and useful tools to get us practicing preparation tactics to better handle, both practically and emotionally, the unexpected when it occurs.One effective tool is the simple but powerful question: What’s the worst that could happen?It can be applied to any situation, prospective endeavor or decision. This is not about being a ‘Debbie Downer’. Instead, allowing ourselves to be aware of potential realities helps us to recognize:* Vulnerable areas which may require attention* What is most important to us to protect or preserve (our priorities) if the worst were to happen* Areas where simple measures could be put in place to cushion ourselves* What we currently have to be grateful for and celebrateConsidering, and in some way mentally, emotionally and physically preparing ourselves for the worst, removes the fear from it. Then ‘the rest is gravy’ as they say. We can relax a little more and enjoy life’s adventures with the peace of mind that we can handle whatever comes our way.The truth is that we will inevitably ‘handle’ what comes anyway, in some fashion or another. Things happen and we deal with them, because we have to. But a bit of planning and forethought empowers us to handle them more efficiently and effectively and hopefully with a lot less stress, scramble and upset.Mental flexibility is a useful skill to practice. The fable of the oak tree and the reed (or some version of it) is a familiar one, in which ‘bending with the wind’ proves the best way to survive its attack. When a spanner comes our way, do we let it clog the works and close down the factory or can we somehow use it to tweak and adjust or better yet build a new and improved product altogether?Useful questions to help reframe unexpected changes to plans:* What is the essence of what I am trying to do here?* How can I still fundamentally achieve this, given the new circumstances?* What opportunities do these new circumstances offer that I can make the most of or put to use?* What can I learn and how can I grow from this?A simple example: Is the long-awaited family reunion picnic ruined because the rain came and waterlogged the barbeque? Or could an improvised party in the garage with take-away pizza and parlour games serve the same end? Is there some special project that could be done together that might not even have been possible out in the garden? Is it worth investing in some outdoor umbrellas for the future?Flexible thinking and basic precautionary planning is useful for both the big and small stuff. Creating contingencies and allowing a cushion in even our daily scheduling and budgeting can be a lifesaver when we have set deadlines or boundaries and something unexpected arises.I am not a ‘natural’ saver or pragmatist but the lessons I am currently seeing are that it is never too soon to start organizing for retirement and our ‘third age’, estate planning, and building some safety net for ‘just in case’ (getting assistance with this where necessary). It may not be fun but I’d rather it be done than not. There’s little use in waiting for the rainy day to say, “I wish I’d saved for this” and one thing we can predict is that life is unpredictable.There can be a fine line between healthy preparation and paranoia. A friend in England is married to a high-rolling Risk Analyst who has insisted their garage be converted into a bunker containing a year’s supply of food and water and a sizable stash of gold bullion.I guess whatever helps you sleep better at night.Doom-mongering, however, is unhelpful and unhealthy. Naysayers and eternal pessimists, who can only envisage the worst, will kill ideas, dreams, projects and goals with their negativity. Constant moaning about, warning of, worrying about and living in fear of all the things that could go wrong, most of which are beyond our control, doesn’t do anyone any favours, And is no more ‘realistic’ than someone with their head lost in the clouds.A balanced amount of preparation and consideration to actual reality, potentialities and inevitables can give us the freedom to enjoy and live life to the full, knowing that we can weather whatever blows our way.Julia Pitt is a trained Success Coach and certified NLP practitioner with Benedict Associates Ltd. Telephone (441)295-2070 or visit www.juliapittcoaching.com for further information.