(Principles are basic truths that, when applied, cause success to come to you easier and quicker.)

 

Every Boy Scout and Girl Scout knows about first aid. A 1948 printing of the Boy Scout Manual states that first aid is “the emergency care given to anyone who is badly hurt or who is taken suddenly sick. It is also the immediate care that is necessary to prevent slight injuries from becoming much more serious.” Many people are trained and prepared to administer first aid in an emergency situation.

But what of second aid? The term sounds jarring because we don’t use it, certainly not often. Second aid is what happens after the immediate crisis is over, whether in a medical, life-threatening situation or in our everyday living.

Do you have a good ability to jump in and handle sudden situations in your business, family, community, and spiritual life? Are you good at first aid? Many people are quite good at fixing things, moving from problem to problem “putting splints on the breaks” if you will.

How is your follow-up, your second aid? Do you look for the core reasons underlying the just-solved problem? Do you create permanent solutions? Do you even enjoy permanent solutions or, instead, get your satisfaction from attacking the next problem?

There is no right or wrong here, there is only understanding how you show up and the results you’re getting. If you’re not interested in second aid, surround yourself with resources which will provide it. If you do like to create permanent solutions, then enjoy doing that.

Self-awareness is the key.

 

Coaching Point: Who is the provider of second aid in your life?

 

Copyright 2010 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.