Usable Insight – Hurricane Sandy Aftermath – Use These 5 Steps
Step 1: Own It — It wasn’t a bad dream… it happened. Accept that it happened.
Step 2: Desired Outcome — Now what?
Step 3: Control — What you can do without needing anyone else to move towards that desired outcome?
Step 4: Influence — What is something you can’t do, that you will need others to provide and a plan for influencing them?
Step 5: Response-ability — What you actually do back towards the environment after you have gone through steps 1-4.
One of my favorite books of the past several years and one that people living through Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath would do well to refer to is: Workarounds That Work: How To Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work by Russell Bishop.
I think it will come in very handy to anyone whose life is hit by Hurricane Sandy. Here are the steps, but I would urge you to get the book or get it on kindle before Sandy hits you.
Step 1: Own It — It wasn’t a bad dream… it happened. Accept that it happened. It’s natural to want to go into a state of denial or to ask yourself “why” or “why me” or “how did this happen” or “how could this happen” or a variety of other responses. It is also natural to get angry at someone, beat up on yourself for failing to prepare or go into the “black hole” of self-pity. Again, all natural, but all things that you need to resist because they will use up precious energy that you could use on the following steps.
Step 2: Desired Outcome — Now what? Given that this obstacle or setback has just come crashing down or into you, what is the best immediate outcome (as in the next 24 hours), near term as in the next week and longer term as in the next three months and beyond that you can hope for that is not just reasonable (i.e. makes sense) but is realistic (i.e. likely to be achievable).
Step 3: Control — What you can do without needing anyone else to move towards that desired outcome? This is specifically what action can you take such as getting supplies, going to what store(s), or what shelters, etc. This also includes your making a plan and list of what you need to get done to achieve your immediate, near term and longer term outcomes.
Step 4: Influence — What you can’t do, that you will need others to provide and a plan for influencing them. Anything beyond what you can do on your own involves achieving others to help you out. Who are those people? What is the best way to contact them? What is the best way to influence or persuade them to help you?
Step 5: Response-ability — What you actually do back towards the environment after you have gone through steps 1-4. This is your ability to respond after you have gone through the above steps. What are you going to do now? And I mean right now.
Good luck.
Tags: hurricane, hurricane Sandy, stress
October 28th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
OK. Now, from this day forward,think like a Boy Scout and start with step #5 as if it’s step #1 and work backwards.
In the midwest we have tornadoes and ice storms that shut off power. Have extra drinking water, food, batteries, candles and/or flashlights, a little extra cash, and keep the car at least close to full. Every home needs a first-aid kit. Plan like you are going camping or on a short trip somewhere if necessary. Some camping supply outlets sell portable toilets. I fill the empty places in my freezer with portable ice packs in case the power goes off. As I empty my freezer, I fill the space with ice packs. Useful to have on hand for injuries or muscle spasms. Helps cut down on expense to keep the freezer running constantly, too. Lots of places online that discuss emergency preparedness.
Next, I would be writing my legislators and asking them about the chemtrails. If this is truly for weather modification, did “they” deliberately cause the severe heat and drought we had in the midwest this summer or just deliberately fail to mitigate it. Did “they” deliberately cause this freak hurricane, or just deliberately fail to mitigate it? Who is actually benefitting from these chemtrails? Who is deliberately being harmed? Use that anger towards something positive and proactive now.
Also, while you are thinking of ways to help yourselves, how can you also be able to help others?
October 28th, 2012 at 5:17 pm
Thank you Cheryl for you thoughtful suggestions and I believe they can certainly help people as they deal with this situation.
Best regards,
Mark
October 29th, 2012 at 6:18 am
Although it is too late for Sandy, natural disasters strike all our lives. They will more and more because of global warming. If you own a house, keep gutters clean and branches trimmed. If you are in an apartment, try to see that such things have been done.
NYC closing the subways was such a move on a big scale.
Thanks for all you do.
October 31st, 2012 at 7:34 am
This is indeed useful.
It starts out by focusing on allowing the emotion to be felt but then insisting on willfully problem solving. Tony Robbins has written, “spend 10 percent of your time on the problem and 90 percent on the solution.”
Mark’s first step of owning the reality, that painful acceptance. That takes courage and maturity but hey, it can be done, even if at great cost. Without that, you can’t move forward and do so productively.
Then we need a clear plan, a goal, a mission as his “desired outcome” states. That’s the target, the destination the mind can “see” and work towards.
Steps 3 and 4 are difference makers in that one is personal responsibility and the other is realizing you don’t need to do it all yourself and there are others out there who have what you don’t, can do what you can’t, to help you get to where you want and need to go.
What’s even more useful is this approach of Mark’s can work in more than just natural disaster response.
November 22nd, 2012 at 7:44 pm
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