Worst-Case Scenario

Every scenario has a spectrum of outcomes that can occur. From the best outcomes to the worst, there are countless variables and steps leading to the final result. Predicting any outcome with complete certainty is difficult. But there are steps and preparations that can be taken prior to any resulting outcome that can help sway and dictate the outcome to be favorable to you. With any scenario in life, this is the case. Preparation and working prior to an event will help you. One way to effectively set up a plan for how you should prepare for something is to imagine the worst possible outcome. By brainstorming and coming up with scenarios that are at the absolute opposite side of the spectrum you are looking to reach, you can set up steps and create a plan to mitigate these worst-case scenarios from manifesting into a reality.

A simple scenario to explain this ideology is if you are planning a trip. There are multiple worst-case outcomes that can come out of this:

You can forget an essential item at home. Mitigate this from happening by packing the night before and having someone else confirm your packing list isn’t missing anything.

You could miss your flight. Mitigate the chances of this from happening by making sure you leave with extra buffer time in the event of traffic, long lines, or any sort of delay.

Your luggage could be lost. Mitigate the effects of this by making sure your absolute essential items never leave your side.

Your plane could crash and your children could be left without parents. While this is an extremely out-of-the-box and unlikely possibility, this is absolutely a worst-case scenario. Mitigate the chances of this by taking a different flight from your spouse.

The weather could cancel a planned activity. While you can’t change the weather, you can establish a backup plan so you do not have a fully wasted day.

This brainstorming session has covered extremely likely worst-case scenarios to fractional chances and it has covered a wide breadth of what could go wrong. This is a simple practice to adopt and helps you acknowledge the fact that sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned or as you desire. By ensuring you are aware of potential pitfalls and worst-case scenarios you are able to effectively plan to minimize the potential for any of these situations becoming a reality. Working backward from the worst-case scenario helps put you on a path to unlocking the best-case scenario.