ADPIE

Years ago I took an emergency responder course and am certified by the county and local fire department to be an asset in case of an emergency --  tornado, earthquake, flood, etc.  I suppose I just wanted to know that I was, in some small way, an asset to the community.  (No, a pat-on-the-back tool was not included in the kit.) 

Though I've never been activated into the field, events such as hurricane Michael remind me that I am at least somewhat prepared to help. 

There are a lot of acronyms in the emergency response and medical fields, including ADPIE. 

The process has 5 steps: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. These steps are detailed phases with their own set of actions designed to streamline victim/patient care. As the process is always ongoing, there is no set amount of time for any step to begin or be completed.

It actually fits nicely into the Carpe diem Life acronym because it can be a pretty good tool for ANY problem you're facing. 

So, trying to tie together a few ideas I've written about lately, here's one way the whole process could flow:

Problem? 
Serenity to accept the things you cannot change.  )If you recognize this right off the bat it will save a lot of grief.)
Courage to change what you can.
Wisdom to know the difference. 

Next,

Choose to change.       
                        Assess the situation.
                        Diagnose the root causes of the problem
                        Plan Solution
Action List               
Resources
                        Implement
Persistent Action
                        Evaluate Progress
Evaluate and
Direction Change if needed and seek continually to
Improve
Enjoy the process because ultimately it's
My Responsibility and my

LIFE!

So, there you have it, the "Serenity, Courage, Wisdom, ADPIE, Carpe diem LIFE Problem Solving Flow Chart" (presented in the most convoluted way possible). 




Just a word of advice:  If you're standing in the middle of the road and see an on-coming truck about to run you over and you think to yourself, "I seem to have a problem!" don't stop and go through each step.  RUN LIKE HELL!

Just a few thoughts to chew on this week. 

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn