The Canadian spirit is cautious, observant and critical where the American is assertive. ~ V.S. Pritchett

I spent a number of years close to the Canadian border in Michigan as a young man and it never ceases to amaze me how different Americans are from Canadians, despite their proximity. One of my best friends and closest business partners is Canadian and I know that we have a wonderful time discovering these similarities and differences, though most of the observations are left unspoken.

To say that one approach is superior to the other would be folly. In fact, oscillation between assertiveness and caution is the natural course of life. Risk is inherent in every aspect of life and how we handle that risk determines, in large measure, how successful we are in the living of life.

Warren Buffett said that “Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing.” While I am inclined to agree, even the best laid plans can be subject to risk. If there’s anything I’ve learned in life it is this: expect the unexpected. If you allow yourself to be not just surprised but taken aback, flabbergasted, exasperated or awed to the point of paralysis by the unexpected, then your life’s purpose will forever be frustrated by unforeseen factors.

If you are observant, you’ll find that the unexpected is often a double-edged sword. The key to handling the unexpected, beyond the obvious matter of adequate preparation and confidence built through experience, lies in learning to take the time available and necessary to determine how you can most creatively accommodate the unheralded shift in the factors you are dealing with. Rather than dwelling on “why me” or “why now” or “why that”, channel the heightened attention and energy piqued by the unexpected into a laser-like analysis of the situation. Ask yourself “What can be used to advantage here and now?”

There are six billion plus agents of change on earth today. We are interconnected and our actions send shock waves, both big and small, that affect the lives of countless others. There is rarely any risk that things will go exactly as planned, so rather than struggle with this reality, why not embrace it? Why not see it as an asset rather than a liability?

You can live an uncommonly generative life. No matter what country you were born in, no matter what lens you tend to view life through, the ordinary, common, predictable things in life (e.g. surprises) can be used to propel you closer to the goals you’ve set for yourself in life.

Just as a cautious approach is warranted on occasion, there is a time and a place for assertiveness. Where you sit on the spectrum relates to your risk tolerance and fortunately for us, the world is a big place with plenty of room for variations in perspective and approach.