There’s no euphoria quite like the moment you survive nightmares.
The catch is how you survive until release arrives.
I have lived through five horrible nightmares.
Five avalanches that came my way.
Five that I thought I could not survive.
- Three health-related
- One family related
- One money related
I will share one here.
We were on a ski trip right after Christmas. Lizzy was 5. Kate was 2. I called the office at the Monarch Pass ski resort from the restaurant. Worst news you can imagine for calling the office on a holiday. The majority partner says, “I am closing the business. Moving to Houston. You are on your own.”
That was December 1987, after borrowing the maximum amount to buy and remodel a home in University Park. Right after the Dow Jones Industrial Average erased 22% of its value in a single day.
Driving with me shortly after the ski trip, the majority partner swings by the neighborhood and says, “Nice house. I hope you can keep it.”
That’s when I started my financial planning business.
Essentially fired. On my own. In debt. No salary. Young family. Riddled with fear.
Similar to being trapped in an avalanche.
Experts in that scenario say to . . .
- remain calm
- let go of heavy equipment
- swim backward
- dig around your face
Of course, this is taught via webinars in nice, climate-controlled rooms nowadays.
Here are my four favorite lessons learned about surviving chaos.
1. Remain calm
Just be calm. Right? Reminds me of the angel’s first words to the shepherds.
“Don’t be afraid.” Luke 2:10
There has to be a powerful reason to believe someone who says, “Don’t be afraid.”
Early in my life, I willingly thrust my whole being into this person, Jesus.
My faith stabilizes my heart and mind so that I can think clearly in an avalanche.
Check out the number of times Jesus spoke “Do not be afraid” in the gospels.
I know His presence is always with me, no matter my problems.
2. Let go of heavy equipment
Drop nonessentials.
In life and in business, separate the vital from the trivial.
As Greg McKeown said in his New York Times bestseller Essentialism, “The overwhelming reality is we live in a world where almost everything is worthless and a very few things are exceptionally valuable.”
3. Swim backwards
Ironically, this is your best chance to survive an avalanche.
Keeping your face toward the surface gives you a better chance to breathe.
If you had not read this, you could have figured this out from a textbook on problem-solving.
Respond and don’t react.
No matter how catastrophic, the great reward in any problem is each step taken to respond and not react.
So, instead of hunkering to make a living with a guaranteed salary, I started off 1988 by launching my business through free speaking forums learned from scouring the newspaper.
One person who heard me led directly to my nationally syndicated radio program and featured newspaper columns throughout Texas and eight other states.
Lean into the catastrophe. Face it squarely. Attack it creatively, and you will see the next step.
4. Dig around your face
Profound simplicity focuses on any catastrophic problem at hand with clarity.
That’s when you stop and focus on what is clearly needed.
- Dig around your face
- Make room to breathe
You can do this if you recognize that attitude is critical in staying around long enough to watch the nightmare vanish.
It’s not so much what happens to us as what happens in us that counts.
Survival toolkit
Your survival toolkit has made a name for the greatest of survivors.
- Stay calm
- Drop nonessentials
- Respond thoughtfully
- Embrace elegant simplicity
How do you survive an avalanche?