One of the mantras I like to live by, both in my private life and as a life coach, is "When in doubt, hope for the best, and plan for the worst."
It gives me a chance to stay positive and keep a "can-do" attitude about every situation, and it also makes it possible for me to be prepared if something happens and a situation should be less than optimal or the outcome should be an unexpected one.
It could sound like a pretty pessimistic mindset, and yet, to me, the opposite is true.
Hoping for the best is a very effective way to embrace serendipity, accept challenges if needed, and to stay curious; planning for the worst gives me a sense of self-efficacy, resilience, and overall awareness for what is in front of me (or could be in front of me sooner than later).
[The stronger and more resilient we are,
the easier it becomes to give something
or someone the benefit of the doubt]
As if this would not be already a lot to be happy with, this mantra makes it also possible for me to give something or someone the benefit of the doubt.
Instead of creating some post-apocalyptic scenarios in my head, I usually do my best to maintain my coolness and to ask questions.
It doesn't work all the time, though. But I keep working on it and I know that this is going to be an endless work in progress for getting even better at it.
Because I know that it's worth it.
Coaching question of the day:
"Where in your life could you give something or someone the benefit of the doubt?"
This one is for Nancy.
Tags: Coaching question, Self-coaching, Self-awareness, Resilience, Serendipity, Benefit of the doubt
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