David Udoh

How to stay calm when you know you'll be stressed

Several years ago, I found myself in a predicament where I had broken into my own house. It had been a freezing winter night in Montreal, and I had just returned home from visiting my friend across town. I was about to head to Europe the next morning, so I needed to grab my passport and suitcase. However, when I arrived home, I realized that I didn't have my keys with me. I tried all the other doors and windows, but they were locked tightly. I couldn't go back to my friend's house as I had an early flight, and I didn't want to wait for a locksmith to arrive. So, I resorted to breaking into my house through the basement window with a large rock. I cleared out the shards of glass, crawled through, and taped a piece of cardboard over the opening. The next morning, I had to rush to the airport, but I realized that I had forgotten my passport. I raced back home, got my passport, and rushed back to the airport. Unfortunately, I missed my flight, and I had to take the back seat of the plane for an eight-hour flight. That's when I started thinking about ways to prevent bad things from happening and minimize the damage if they do happen.