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Updated: March 25, 2023 @ 9:04 am
As we reflect on 2022 and look forward to 2023, it will behoove us to apply a best case/worst case approach to any lifestyle changes or resolutions we are considering.
I saw two quotes in which people were using this approach whether they realized it or not. They said essentially the same thing, but made their points in different ways as they projected possible outcomes in their lives.
The first quote makes a clear point, regardless of whether you do or don’t know anything about the speaker or the speaker’s subject. He said, “When considering the type of person I wanted to marry, I consciously wanted to find someone who had certain positive attributes of my mother, while making sure she didn’t have certain negative characteristics my mother possessed.”
The second quote makes a clearer point when you know something about the speaker and the people of whom he spoke. Eddie Giuliani, legendary bodybuilder and former Mr. World, passed away in 2022. In 2013, following the death of bodybuilding and nutritional icon Joe Weider (who helped train Arnold Schwarzenegger and helped him land his first film role), Giuliani claimed two people guided him to success.
Specifically, Giuliani said: “If I made any progress at all it was because of two people, Joe Weider and Bela Lugosi.”
As many of us may know, Bela Lugosi was the thin, pale, iconic stage and horror film star who is best known for playing the title role in an early “Dracula” movie, which is still shown on TV and in some theaters on special occasions.
When considering marriage, the first quote presented a best case/worst case scenario comparison based on observations and experiences with his mother. The second quote presented his best case/worst case scenario comparison based on a famous bodybuilder/nutritionist and the epitome of a thin, pale human being.
The best case/worst case scenario projection is a good tool for any of us to use in any areas of our lives. When we are deciding what we should or shouldn’t do, or deciding when we should or shouldn’t do it, this type of comparison can play an important role.
For example, consider the rewards of doing something you think needs to be done and the consequences if you do not do it. If the worst case scenario is not all that bad, maybe you should just forget about the thing you have been considering and invest your time in something that will result in greater rewards or value. If the worst case is really bad, then you should get on the ball, get with the program, and stop procrastinating.
We can use the best case/worst case scenario thinking in numerous situations as we consider the various choices with which we deal in life. Whether in choosing marriage partners (like the first quote), taking care of our bodies (like the second quote), or anything else about which a decision needs to be made, the art of projecting possible outcomes is valuable.
Carl Mays is a National Speakers Hall of Fame member and author of over a dozen books,. CarlMays.com.
