Hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst."

Good Afternoon Everyone! 

The title of this week's article is a well known quote, which interestingly enough has never been attributed to anyone specific.  I was reminded of the line this weekend when I was watching "A Few Good Men".  I guess the line does play second fiddle to the infamous "You can't handle the truth."  But knowing that you all CAN handle the truth, I thought I would write this week about "Hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst."

You have all heard me or some other equally wise person at Title Connect talk about the dangers of HOPE.  As a matter of fact we even created an acronym for the word, which translates out to Hesitation Of Personal Effort.  Now don't get me wrong, hope is a good thing.  It is an expression of optimism; it is a glass is half full emotion; it can create an environment that is nurturing and positive.  But, if all you do is rely on HOPE for success then you are probably setting yourself up for disappointment. 

But having hope is not enough; you also need to have a plan; that is really what preparing for the worst is all about.  It is not about thinking the worst; or being negative; or knowing that things will never work out.  Preparing for the worst is all about creating a plan that will allow you to succeed when others might not.  Preparing for the worst is knowing that whatever happens you will be as prepared as you can be to deal with the situation and get the very best outcome possible. 

All this preparing can be done with a sense of optimism and in a positive environment.  The best analogy I can give you has to do with backpacking/fishing my son takes with his uncle.  Whenever they go out into the wilderness, they expect to be having fish for dinner and maybe even for breakfast.  But just in case...they do pack some "emergency" food.  Despite a sense of optimism, the fish do not always cooperate.  That is the epitome of "hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst."

Have a great week everyone!

Mary K. Garmo 

Title Connect LLC order@title-connect.com mgarmo@title-connect.com 248-763-1913