I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.
Today’s tip is to be a realistic optimist. Think about what could go right.
I’m usually positive in life, but often I anticipate or think about potential problems and issues first. I think that was part of what helped me think critically about building or managing software, as I looked for problem spots early.
However, as I get older, I know that often there aren’t likely to be big problems. There could be smaller ones, and we do need to try and mitigate those, but really, I ought to appreciate and think of the good things first.
My daughter is driving herself back to college with a friend. It’s a long trip, 1775 miles, and she’s never done anything like that herself. As I’ve told a few friends, they all seem to worry first, or ask me about concerns.
While I did think about ensuring she had a car that would make it, mostly I thought this was a great opportunity for her. A chance to experience the world with a friend, enjoy a long trip, manage her gas/food/restroom breaks along the way, and embrace a new challenge in life.
I loved long trips when I was younger, and I still enjoy driving to cities. I think this will be a great event for her, the first time she’s taken a long road trip by herself.