The kid on the board makes it look so EASY.  I want more of that for myself… how about you?

There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.

— Warren Buffett

My post last week celebrated a really mundane personal accomplishment. And while I respect my exuberant and frivolous rejoicing (regardless of how silly it makes me feel) I also feel confused… I find myself asking: If I were to just adopt a more casual, laissez-faire attitude, would that make everything easier?

I like to think of myself as an optimist who prepares for possibilities.  But I’m wondering if my creative optimism is still serving me well? Or have I inadvertently morphed into a pessimist?  Should I shift drastically, adapt some, or just carry on as if nothing needs adjustment?

As I think about the kid’s ease on the surfboard and about my friend JD’s ease at doing his thing, I wonder: Is it really as easy as they make it look or have they simply practiced past the pitfalls?  I think that they’ve earned their stripes – they’ve practiced their way to proficiency.

But I’m also beginning to believe that many things are easier than I expect them to be, that I’m making mountains out of my molehills.  And I’m wondering how much of my life is colored by this anticipation of problems.  Am I becoming so hyper-vigilant that I never even start the “practice makes perfect” process – am I cheating myself out of getting to the “makes it look easy” stage?

What If…

What would happen if I just assumed possibilities would be easy instead of hard? Will minor impediments trip me up because I didn’t anticipate and plan for them or will I discover it is easy when I expect it to be?

What would happen if I continue to rely on anticipating worst case scenarios as my first response? Will I make excuses and delay progress?  Will I get all tied-up in analysis paralysis?  Or will I be better prepared to succeed?

When I seek the wisdom of the ages, I find conflicting perspectives:

Don’t handicap your children by making their lives easy.

— Robert A. Heinlein

If you like things easy, you’ll have difficulties; if you like problems, you’ll succeed.

— Laotian Proverb

Life at any time can become difficult: life at any time can become easy. It all depends upon how one adjusts oneself to life.

— Unknown

So where’s the line between too brash/brazen and too cautious/careful?  Should I search out an alternative personal perspective that will serve me better?

I guess I should start by contemplating how I approach life, here and now.  I think I juggle my perspectives among:

• Murphy’s right: What can go wrong will go wrong.  Anticipate what can go tilt and come up with alternatives, Plans B, C, D…
• Just do it and see what happens.
• Improvise, adapt and overcome. (Thank you again, Reader Freddie!)
• Keep going, it’ll all come together in a flash if I just keep at it.
• Here & now, I can deal with this.
• Focus on your Best Case Scenarios.

Ah ha! I just got it – I’ve been nurturing “nervous Nellie” when I should be building Best Case Scenarios… Perhaps it’s just the season, because last year at this time I wrote:

Lastly, I hope all you, even the defensive pessimists will consider the advice of Slade Roberson who advises his readers that “a miracle is always an option”… and with that thought in mind, he recommends building a best case scenario to see what it tells you about possible outcomes.

How Do I Find Me One?

Find your Best Case Scenario by asking yourself to imagine what it would feel like, sound like, look like IF, miracle of miracles (there’s my bias outing me again) everything went right, if the absolute optimal-best happens.  Then, once you’ve envisioned your Best Case Scenario, Slade Roberson recommends:

…don’t worry about the How – the cool thing about miracles is you aren’t required to micro-manage their progress. …[so] at least start with [expecting] a miracle.

Still, it’s important that we don’t just assume that having imagined a miracle, one will auto-magically appear…

…the revelation for me was that faith and doubt, side by side, are normal.

— PattiAnn

And no, imagining a Best Case Scenario is not a lesson in futility – it’s a lesson in remembering to look at both sides of the coin: Best Case and Worst Case.  I’ve been putting too much attention on only one side of the coin!

Yes, I get it now: I’ve been starting with disaster; I need to start with a miracle, and then develop Plans B, C, and D, just in case Murphy shows up.  Then I can revert to expecting miracles!

Balance AND Action

Early on in this post I asked: Should I shift drastically, adapt some, or just carry on as if nothing needs adjustment?  Well, here’s what I think: Adapt some, Ellie. This isn’t a contest between pessimism and optimism; it is about balancing the two sides of the creative optimism coin.  After envisioning a positive outcome, after planning for possible setbacks, there comes a point when I need to go forward, acting as if my best case scenario is unfolding, all the while knowing I have backup plans in my pocket.

The kid on the board makes it look so EASY.  From now on, I going to put more energy into imagining best case scenarios to balance my worst case scenarios, how about you?