Sometimes you’re jamming along, everything’s going good, and then you get blindsided.
Now, sometimes these are life altering events, like car accidents, diseases, job losses, etc. Beyond your control, completely out of the blue, and absolutely unexpected.
The best thing to do in these cases is to simply retreat and regroup. Surround yourself with loved ones, recover from your losses, and rely on your strengths and your relationships to rebuild that part of your life.
Other times, we get blindsided, but the outcome is still up in the air. Maybe you’re at work and there are some big changes coming, Or maybe you’re in a relationship and your partner says you’ve got to have a “talk.”
In these situations, how you respond will largely determine the outcome. Unless you’re being told point blank that you’re fired, or you’re getting dumped, you’ve usually got a lot more options than you realize.
Luckily, the strategy applies. Retreat and regroup, and rely on your strengths.
Only this time, it happens a lot quicker, and it’s a lot more mental than physical. When you get t-boned at an intersection, you’ve literally got to go to a rehab center to rebuilt.
But when somebody t-bones you in a conversation, you’ve got do the same thing, only inside your head, and you’ve only got a few seconds.
If you are wholly unprepared for something like this, you may put your foot in your mouth, and make the situation a lot worse.
But if you prepare for something like this, you can bob and weave like a verbal ninja, and turn what could be a disaster into a wonderful opportunity.
How do you prepare?
First, think of the most horrible things important people could say to you, or a few worst case scenarios of being put “on the spot.”
Then simply practice how you’d respond in a way that would highlight your strengths.
Do this, and job interviews, talks with your superiors at work, and even first dates will be tilted much more in your favor.
Learn more: