Thinking before the fact

Of all the personal struggles any individual will ever face is the surprise announcement that you have been terminated from your employment. For those who have experienced this moment in life, even if you had written warning and verbal acknowledgements regarding performance or actions, that single moment is still a shock and immediate setback. The bigger self-attack is that unexpected office meeting where you had no fore warning or hint of the ambush you were walking into. There are many situations we will naturally bump into throughout life that we don’t need to have pop up events to keep us always hopping around life as a game of hopscotch.
While you are considering what you might do with the release of such news as “you’re fired” the first I advice is to practice this moment before it happens. I know this may sound a bit out of the norm but it is really good advice to be prepared. Rehearsing responses to various types of possible situations is a great way to hear what you’re thinking aloud and a great way to practice what you should say even when you’d like to just sound off and say what you are feeling at the moment. At the outset, that sounds like good advice too. It’s only when you stop and think about the later impact of just saying what you think when you realize that most of the time “running off at the mouth” is never good. I have a full list of people, places and comments that many wish they had never said, and wish they could take back from the ear memory of those that heard.
Best advice one could ear hear today might be from President Abraham Lincoln, when he said, “better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt”. I smile when I quote that to myself often, because I know of things I wish I would not have said, but did. Learning to listen and thinking (practicing) before you speak is a great beginning to handling situations that just pop up in life. Death is a greeting of life that hands surprises. If we thinking about the moment of death before it arrives we can be prepared, no matter the hour. Why not have discussions with a funeral director sharing your wishes so others can find you’re planning as the perfect answer for their unexpected announcement of your death? One thing that I can share is that if you begin with this type of conversation now, you will more than likely discover the answers you are looking for through mature listening, thinking and planning.
So you have a job loss tomorrow when you arrive at work. You are unprepared and have made no thought about tomorrow, what’s next? Why not let your answer be I’m not totally ready, but because I’ve thought about this before, I am able to lower the lingering affect by preparation.
I often hear folks say, I’m not sure what I need to do about a relationship with Jesus Christ. They plan to do something someday, but do nothing in the mean time except to say, I’m planning. Additional advice for being prepared for life begins with a personal conversation with Jesus. You don’t have to invite Him into your heart during the first conversation but if you listen and take the beginning step or an additional step now, you will be at least one step closer to the perfect final destination.

Until then