You're going to get knocked off course

My 22-year-old is starting his first real full-time job in Silicon Valley and buying a car.

Recently, he told me about a friend who graduated, had a job lined up to start September 1st, and got laid off before he even started.

My son's takeaway was: I'm not counting on a paycheck until it's actually in my bank account.

There's a resilience lesson in there.

When, not if, you get knocked off course, what will you do next?

I'm not suggesting we walk around expecting catastrophe. That's anxiety, not preparation.

But we can decrease the shock factor.

I once heard a psychologist give great advice about family gatherings. Someone may comment on your weight. Your relationship. Your parenting. Your career.

You might be angry. You might be hurt.

But there's one thing you don't have to be:

Surprised.

Surprise makes everything else harder.

The same is true when life throws much bigger things at us.

A diagnosis. A layoff. An injury. A financial problem. A loss. I have been talking a lot about this recently.

We can't prepare for every event, but we can build the habit of asking: If something changes, what will I do first? Who will I call? What information will I need? What matters most?

Having an answer isn't pessimism. It's a resilience strategy.

When life changes the plan, what's the first thing that helps you find your footing again?

Also,this is exactly what we're talking about at Think Tank this Tuesday, September 22 at 12:05 ET: staying resilient in leadership when a problem knocks you, or someone you love, off course.

I'll be joined by David Magness, Mairin Moore Cane, and Gabriel Rodriguez for a conversation about navigating the unplanned from medical, leadership, and deeply personal perspectives. If you have not registered for the Zoom link already, you still have time to Register.

If this question matters to you, I hope you'll join us.

All my best,

Dr. G