How to Generate Yourself in a Crisis

To generate means to bring into existence, to beget, or to produce.  Today everyone is having some kind of crisis with the economy.  It may be job loss, business failure or marriage demise.  Whatever the crisis situation one must generate yourself toward resolving the crisis immediately.

I heard of a story where a man’s son was buried alive and he dug for 36 hours to get him out.  Others had given up on the situation but he was determined and believed he could find his son.  He exhausted his resources and himself by continually digging.  He did manage to save his son’s life even after authorities told him it was hopeless.

Often there is one thing to do in a crisis to resolve it, but we get stuck in our crisis and don’t generate ourselves toward that powerful end.  While everyone else stood around crying, screaming and hysterical he did the only thing he knew to do which was dig and keep digging.

You have to put aside all other things in a crisis and shift yourself toward producing a powerful result.  I have seen people react to a crisis and crumble.  A crisis calls for powerful action and not reaction.  A nuclear reactor generates a chain reaction of cataclysmic results.  So don’t react in your crisis.  Consider the nuclear fallout you will create.

The crisis is outside of you so you must bring something powerful to the crisis.  Don’t shut down; instead generate yourself toward resolving the crisis.  What do policemen and firemen do every day?  They step into an immediately threatening situation and risk loss to remediate the situation.

A crisis calls for someone to step up.  Like in the case of Todd Beamer and the plane that was headed for the White House with Flight 93.  The plane was hijacked and he took action quickly and engaged those around him with the powerful words,”Are you guys ready, let’s roll!” With those powerful words and timely actions they thwarted the hijacker’s attempts at landing the plane near the White House.

There is usually one thing to do in a crisis and we have to step up to the plate and roll out the plan quickly and give it all we got.  You also have to shift yourself away from the alternative; fear, caving in, despair, giving up etc.  You must be resolved and determined you will make an impact on your current crisis.

Having a strong sense of self and complete ownership of the crisis helps you to resolve it quickly.  You may have lost your job and are starting to feel hopeless.  There are things you can do.  Reduce your expenses, cut your cable, cell phone, and put things in storage, live with family or friends.  This is one of the longest and hardest hit recessions on record so you are going to have to move forward to avert the impact of the financial crisis.

Perhaps the crisis calls for you to ask for help powerfully.  Lots of people who are employed don’t know how to help those who are not.  Break it down. When we sound desperate people react to the desperation.  Believe you have a manageable plan, go back to school, look for part-time work, temporary work, and relocate.  Ask for help in calm, positive ways.

Expanding our social network can be powerful.  You may only know certain people in your life and the results you’re getting are limited.  You have to reach out beyond your circle in a crisis to ask for help beyond your sphere of influence.  Join networking groups, job clubs, even chess clubs, gyms, meet-up groups on the internet.  The broader the circle the sooner you will find a job through networking efforts.

Make a choice in your crisis.  You will generate yourself toward the best and optimum thing to do in the crisis.  If you need help remember to ASK for it.  Coaching can help you to generate yourself with an action plan.