So I came to the realization today that I'm a pretty good "BS'er." That's not meant in a bad way. I just taught two classes today how to set up their professional Web sites as online resumes/portfolios. The problem is that the back end of the system was experience some degradation issues and I found myself with about four to five minutes between each step. There are some people that that would totally throw off track and they'd have a horrible time. I became consciously aware today that it didn't bother me at all. Ok so what I wanted to happen didn't. Well that sucks. What else useful can I share with my audience while we wait? I had no shortage of topics.
I think that this reflection has a lot to do with some of the classes I've taken and volunteer work I do. You learn quickly that what is supposed to happen in an ideal situation is not what happens in real life. That's why we adapt. I train a lot in Civil Air Patrol for missions involving search and rescue, disaster relief, etc. I coach 62 college girls rugby. I can tell you that no matter how many times we run a tabletop mission training exercise, or execute a new play in practice, when you get to real life it doesn't play out that way.
The best thing that we can do is look for our next best option. This "thinking on your feet" is something you learn through repetition. It's almost like chess players looking five moves ahead of where they are now. "Ok. If this happens I'll do this. But if this happens I'll have to do this and watch for this."
Don't worry about being perfect. Nobody is. Be confident. That's what matters. Don't freak out if there's an error or something's taking longer than expected. Act like you knew that was going to happen... or that it was a surprise but you were ready for it. The confident attitude is 3/4 of the battle. Become a good BS'er. In a good way.
I think that this reflection has a lot to do with some of the classes I've taken and volunteer work I do. You learn quickly that what is supposed to happen in an ideal situation is not what happens in real life. That's why we adapt. I train a lot in Civil Air Patrol for missions involving search and rescue, disaster relief, etc. I coach 62 college girls rugby. I can tell you that no matter how many times we run a tabletop mission training exercise, or execute a new play in practice, when you get to real life it doesn't play out that way.
The best thing that we can do is look for our next best option. This "thinking on your feet" is something you learn through repetition. It's almost like chess players looking five moves ahead of where they are now. "Ok. If this happens I'll do this. But if this happens I'll have to do this and watch for this."
Don't worry about being perfect. Nobody is. Be confident. That's what matters. Don't freak out if there's an error or something's taking longer than expected. Act like you knew that was going to happen... or that it was a surprise but you were ready for it. The confident attitude is 3/4 of the battle. Become a good BS'er. In a good way.
Great post. Being a good BSer comes naturally to some folks, but harder to others especially folks new to a position. I can BS with the best of them, but personally, I have always prescribed to having a Plan B or backup plan for everything just in case. Whether it is screen shots of web pages that were supposed to work, rolling back changes for an app that testing failed, or more recently taping an entirely different scene because the actress playing the main part had a family emergency, having a Plan B is priceless. There's no sense getting freaked out wen something that you cannot control goes wrong, and you won't have to if you think of some worst case scenarios ahead of time. So I think that thinking on your feet is great if you can do it, but having a Plan B in place before that happens is also a good idea too. If you put to two together, nothing should be able to freak you out again.
April is dead on... and I need to clarify that. I most always have a Plan C let alone a Plan B because I strive for perfection probably more than I should at some times. I guess my point was that things don't always go the way you plan and even though you have Plan B in place, that's not going to go exactly as you had it planned either. Planning is extremely important. But so is the attitude you bring into any situation... especially when things don't go your way.
April says above "There's no sense getting freaked out when something that you cannot control goes wrong..." That's really the essence of my post here. The other people involved may not know anything is wrong... so don't give them the chance.
Thanks for the comment!
Your ability to adjust is a credit to your preparation. A great quote from John Wooden (who I'm sure got it from someone else) captured this: "Failure to prepare is preparing to fail". Corny for sure but it has become more clear as I've gotten older (and boy, have I gotten older). Talk about fun: I have used this quote early when I coach 10-11 year old basketball. After about 2 or 3 weeks, I then ask them to memorize that quote and individually tell me what they think it means. I have gotten some of the craziest interpretations you can imagine. Clearly, the way you prepare is what allows you to "think on your feet".