How to Get Through a Crisis

I miss the days when I was a kid. The times when I didn’t have problems, food was always on the table, I didn’t have to clean up after myself, and all I did was play all day until I was tired. I’m not saying that I was a spoiled kid. I had chores and responsibilities like feeding chickens, washing dishes, taking the dog for a walk, nothing big.

Being a kid is living a perfect life, and sometimes I wonder why it is so. I came up with a conclusion that we lived a perfect life when we were kids because we didn’t have a thing to worry about. Not all of us had happy childhoods, by my mom and dad never wanted me to worry about anything. They never warned me about being a teen or an adult and all the problems that will soon come my way. I passed childhood with a mindset that nothing could go wrong.

I’m not alone in this; most children grow up not acquiring the skills of facing a problem or a crisis. Maybe that’s the reason why when someone faces a problem, they do childish things like, pointing fingers, sharing blames, running away, and making excuses. My article How to get through a crisis will tell you the opposite of these juvenile acts. When facing a disaster, instead of looking for a way out, you must confront yourself instead.

When a crisis strikes and it’s your fault, own it. Nothing shows maturity more than taking responsibility for your mistakes. Facing penalties or a punishment is not easy, but it’s better than wasting time on making up stories or finding other people to blame. When you’re spending time on looking for an easy way out, you are actually doing a lateral move. Instead of passing that stage after the discovery of a screw up, people should just own it and move on.

And speaking of moving on, after admitting your mistake, don’t dwell too much on the repercussions that you might face. You made a mistake, own it, then move on. There is no sense in beating yourself up. You should be proud for doing the right thing which is admitting you where in the wrong. You took the high road and that is good. Consider this a learning lesson and assess everything that is related to your blunder. Think of the best thing that you can do right now, an act that help you with your current situation. It can be in the form of helping other people, or it can be damage control, or by starting over. I can also tell you what not to do. Don’t micromanage your employees. It may be tempting to oversee everything because of your error but it will only make things worse. You’ll be actually getting in their way instead of helping with the situation.

And the last thing to do is leave everything behind. Do not dwell on the past. I know its cliché, but clichés are clichés for a reason. You’ll only waste time thinking of what ifs and what you could have done differently. Time is money right? So let bygones be bygones and get back to work!