A few weeks ago, I ran a column called Prepare To Be Revolutionary. In it, I described a few outcomes for which I believe all artists should prep, so they’re both ready when things sometimes fail and equipped to take advantage when things sometimes are more successful than we ever dreamed. In response to that column, I received the following “yes, and…” from David Harper. Here’s his excellent contribution to the convo.
Your column today is similar to a process called Scenario-Based Planning. I learned it from Brian Tracy, and have since modified it a bit for myself. I’ve shared it with a few other people and they’ve all had great results from it. The way I use it is this:
Take a major part of your life (acting career, health, etc.) or a major project or event (like the ones you mentioned in your column) and go through the following questions:
What three things, if they were to happen, would have the greatest positive impact?
Now, for each of the three answers, ask: What am I going to do to increase the odds of this happening? What am I going to do to be ready to capitalize on it?
Once you’ve got that done, ask: What three things, if they were to happen, would have the greatest negative impact?
Then, for each of those answers, ask: What am I going to do to reduce the odds of this happening? What am I going to do to mitigate the impact if it does happen?
This process is a great way to identify scenarios you may not have considered, and to identify things you need to get done that may not have been on your radar.
Thanks, DHarps! This is incredibly helpful and I plan to make this a part of my “Prepare To Be Revolutionary” strategy, now! Rock on, my friend!
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Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/001740.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.