Category: Evaluation

What Does This Situation Need?

This question comes to us from the TV show Ted Lasso. In the context of the show, it is a strategy in football (soccer), but like many lessons from the show, it is applicable in every part of life.

When a situation develops and you find yourself struggling to take action, this presents a simple plan for handling it. Take a step back and think: what is needed at this moment in time? What is lacking that I can provide? What would make things better?

A key part of this advice is to just stop for a moment to assess. Oftentimes, particularly in a crisis, it feels like there is no time to think, only to act. In reality, though, the right action is much more effective than the wrong action, and taking a pause to consider may be the most important thing you can do.

Also important is determining the proper course of action. If the right action is significantly better than the wrong one, how can we determine what is right? How can we evaluate all the actions we might take to determine the optimal one?

This philosophy suggests thinking about what is missing. This can be challenging because every situation is different. And while at times what is missing is obvious, in others it can be hidden.

Maybe what is missing is communication — two people are both trying to achieve the same goal, but are going about it differently and aren’t working together. Or maybe there aren’t enough helping hands, so you might need to recruit some people to help out. Sometimes you just need some financial resources to add to the mix.

Of course, even if you can identify what is lacking, it’s not always possible to supply it. It is just important to recognize that, however, and look for other ways to address the lack. If you can’t provide what is missing, maybe you can provide someone else who can.

All of this relies on situational awareness and analysis. Being able to accurately figure out what is going on, determining why things are happening, and theorizing how things could be different with different actions taken is important. That takes practice.

Chances are there are areas in your life that could benefit from this way of thinking right now. Can you think of any? How can you test out this approach?

Related questions: How do you need help? How do you define success? When have you made good from a bad situation?

 

Can You Change Your Default Happiness?

If you rank your normal level of happiness on a scale of 1 to 10, can you increase that number? Can you change your default happiness?

If you think about the people you know, you can probably divide them into the camp of “happy people” or “unhappy people”. That is, people who naturally tend to be happy, regardless of what is going on around them. Or those who seem grumpy as a default setting.

Sure, everybody goes through roller-coasters of emotion, when good things or bad things happen. And of course, the mood someone has on any particular day is subject to events in their life. However, there are some people that seem to naturally have a smile, while others naturally have a scowl.

And you might even feel this way about yourself. You might think that life is good, or you might feel like you can never catch a break. And, of course, how you feel about yourself may or may not match up with how others see you.

So then the question becomes: can this aspect of your personality change? If life always gets you down, can you exercise some sort of emotional muscle to improve the amount of happiness you experience? If one bad thing after another happens, can a naturally cheerful person become a grump?

If change is possible, then what can we do to make that change happen for the better? What can we do in our everyday life to increase how happy we tend to be?

Related questions: Is happiness the most important purpose in life? Why do we put up with unhappiness? How does technology influence your emotions? What is the right amount of emotion?

Good Trouble Or Simply Trouble?

The late U.S. Senator and civil rights leader John Lewis famously urged people to “get in good trouble”. How can we know, exactly, what “good trouble” is? How do we know we aren’t just getting in trouble?

Share why if you wish.

Good Trouble Or Simply Trouble?
Results

Should We Respect Institutions?

In the news today, there is a lot of talk about institutions that are present in our lives. How important is it to respect those institutions?

There are many organizations and structures — institutions — that exist in modern day society. Some help people, but some are used to take advantage of them. Some maintain fairness for everyone, but others make discrimination and unfairness official.

There is also a growing movement to radically change or even dismantle some of these structures. That instinct is understandable, particularly when they are perceived to be causing an injustice of some sort.

One problem that arises is that different groups disagree on which organizations are beneficial, and which ones need to be reformed. I might think that Department A is important, but Department B is not. You, on the other hand, feel the exact opposite. What should we do?

Two questions seem relevant: 1) How do we determine the relative importance of each individual institution? 2) In the case where an institution needs change, what is the best way to implement that change?

Our society thrives on stability. The stock market depends on it. Consumer confidence relies on it. Even an individual’s sense of safety and security in their community can be impacted by instability.

With that in mind, should we be making changes to our institutions at all? Even the ones that could be made more fair and even? But if we don’t change, are we accepting the flaws that currently exist in the system?

In many ways, our lives are ruled by the structures all around us. Do we show them respect, and what does “respect” even mean in this instance?

Related questions: How important is respect? What role should government play in our lives? Who has power? What are our responsibilities to others?