If you know me, you know I love a good book.

“Firefighter Zen” is quickly becoming my favorite book. It’s written by a firefighter and full of practical wisdom. Here’s one exercise I’ve learned from this book — When life throws a curveball your way (and it will). Ask yourself:

• Is this an inconvenience?
• Is this a problem?
• Is this an emergency?

Here are some examples:

🐕 Taking the dog out at 2 AM in Chicago – inconvenience.
🤔 Struggling with a difficult boss – problem.
🏥 Diagnosed with a life-altering sickness – emergency.

Doing this little mental calculation will help you meet your life better. It’ll help you respond appropriately to your team and teach you perspective.

Sometimes we respond to an inconvenience like it’s an emergency and an emergency like it’s an inconvenience. We need to learn to calibrate our responses to meet the moment as is, not as we want it to be. I know easier said than done.

I’m going to be gifting this book to friends, family, and clients.

Happy Holidays.

Ali