I once had an unexpected experience that caused me to stop ‘dead in my tracks’ while attending the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. There were some small surprises on the way there, but the biggest occurred during the games themselves.
The trip got off to an odd start. On the way to Russia, I engaged in a trying exchange with a young Norwegian man at JFK airport. I survived that unpleasant experience which included a rather heated political disagreement. When I arrived in Moscow, I experienced a very pleasant surprise when a group of young Russians greeted me and politely escorted me to my next gate for the flight to Sochi.
The purpose of my Sochi trip was to watch my dear friend Alana Nichols who is paraplegic, compete on her uni-ski. She became the first U.S. woman to ever win gold medals in both summer and winter Olympics. This remarkable woman’s accomplishments began when her wheelchair basketball team won the gold medal in China in 2008 and continued in 2010 when she won two gold medals in alpine skiing in Vancouver.
After a near fall in her first downhill race in Sochi, Alana recovered in spectacular fashion to win a silver medal. She was clearly the fastest woman on the mountain that day, so she had high hopes for a gold medal or two in the coming events. Then the unexpected, life-threatening crash occurred. Alana needed to be airlifted to a nearby Russian hospital and treated for a concussion and facial lacerations. She was fortunate that it wasn’t more severe. Alana ended up recovering quickly, but the chase for 2014 Sochi Olympic gold soon became only a memory.
The unexpected is likely to happen to each of us on occasion. You’ve probably heard the expression ‘expect the unexpected.’ Thinking about that phrase makes me reflect on what it means and how, if we did always try to expect the unexpected, it would affect our lives. It sounds wise, and if we were able to do so, there would never be any surprises. But how realistic is it to think we can truly expect the unexpected in business or in life?
It is important to remember that expecting the unexpected in every situation can have all sorts of negative consequences. First, if you are a planner/goal setter, you are not likely to build unexpected events or results into every step of your plan. What kind of a scheme would it be if you did? So if you do want to be one who always expects the unexpected you are also likely a person without a plan. You might also be someone always looking around for which unexpected thing can happen next? That creates an environment that is a breeding ground of worry to me. As we all know, worrying is not a good thing.
So what are we to do then, when the unexpected is inevitable and will change our course in only a few pounding heartbeats? Should we be worried and continuously look around for what will happen next? Why plan and focus on a particular goal if we know that significant disruption could occur at any moment?
Incredible accomplishments may transpire without planning or intention from time to time, but not with any regularity. Doing the right things and planning for good things to occur is more the notion I prescribe. Having set a course and being knocked off of it from time to time will happen. Yes, the occasional crash will keep us off the podium, but without pointing our skis down hill and focusing on the finish line, I seriously doubt we will ever win a medal!