I’ve got a life motto.

“Consider the alternative.”

It’s tried. It’s battle-tested. It’s still hella relevant.

It arose from my observations of people asking something, doing something, trying something, and expecting only one outcome.

But that’s not how life works.

You walk into a situation thinking it will only go one way, and then the opposite happens.

It’ll leave you with disappointment, resentment, (or worse) keep you from trying again or seeing the positive side.

That’s the reason for considering the alternative. It’s helped me approach anything with a broader lens.

“I’m expecting this, but I’m not ruling out this.”

It helps:

• Keep you chill

• Find the positives

• Be prepared

• Move forward

I’ll keep it short today. Here’s how to turn the common sense of considering the alternative into positive action.

Picture this

You plan a vacation. You’ve got the hotel. You’ve got the flight. You’ve got the agenda.

But then a global pandemic hits.

This isn’t an example. It’s real. My wife and I booked a trip to Paris in April of 2020 as a Christmas gift to ourselves.

By February, we canceled the trip. She was pregnant, we didn’t know what Covid really was, and we weren’t keen on getting stuck in a foreign country to have our first kid.

But it was a non-issue. Why? We considered the alternative.

While this case is extreme, apply its method to anything.

• You go to a store, they might not have the shirt you want in your size.

• You plan an outing with a date, they might flake.

• You buy your dream house, there might be foundation issues.

I’m not saying use “consider the alternative” as a preventative. Use it as preparation.

• If you go into the store expecting them to have the shirt and don’t prepare yourself that it might be out of stock, that will throw off your day.

• If you schedule a date and they flake, you’ll feel less than.

• If you buy your dream house and it turns out “not so dreamy,” you’ll feel regret.

Accept what you cannot change

Changing mentality is tough, but here are the cliff’s notes.

If you can’t control it, you can’t dwell on it.

Simple right? “Consider the alternative” helps with that.

• I can’t control the store not having the shirt.

• I can’t control my date flaking.

• I can’t control an unforeseen foundation issue in my new home.

But when conflict arises, you’re no longer a victim. You’re a master of the pivot.

• They don’t have the shirt? It was a want, not a need.

• My date didn’t show? Glad they showed me a red flag before we took it further.

• My home isn’t perfect? It’s an opportunity to learn how to fix it or finance it.

Keep in mind when things go wrong, they still suck.

This isn’t about eliminating suck. It’s about lowering it.

It’s up to you

Things aren’t happening to you.

Things just happen.

And when they do, pivot.

Or better yet, you can consider the alternative beforehand.

Here’s a quote that got me going

I’ve dropped a few Covey quotes in my content this year. Plan on seeing more of it.

My main takeaway from this quote? Your effort toward your future is much more powerful than the effects of the past.

• You don’t have to turn into your parents.

• You don’t have to work at a job you don’t like.

• You don’t have to live in a place you don’t feel welcome in.

Life is all about looking forward.

Have a vision. Work towards it.

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I’ve been active on LinkedIn every day since March. In the beginning, I had no clue what to post. Luckily, my pal Steven has created an entire year’s worth of content frameworks. All you have to do is fill ‘em in.