Everyone should IPDE life. Wait…what? I’ll say it again. E-VE-RY-ONE should IPDE life. Ummm, ok. What is IPDE?
For those who took driver’s ed classes, your instructor may have told you about the IPDE process. Here’s a quick refresher course for what IPDE is:
Identify, Predict, Decide, and Execute (IPDE): This is the step-by-step process behind the principles of defensive driving and complexities of visual perception in traffic. Driving is such a regular part of our lives that we’re often figuratively asleep at the wheel. IPDE is an organized thinking and acting process that you should use over and over again when you are driving.
The four steps of the IPDE process are:
- I—Identify—Locate potential hazards within the driving scene.
- P—Predict—Judge where the possible points of conflict may occur.
- D—Decide—Determine what action to take, when, and where to take it.
- E—Execute—Act by maneuvering the car to avoid conflicts.
IPDE can help you avoid collisions. Take a moment to think through the IPDE process and how you should use it while driving. IPDE can help you become a defensive driver.
Ok…now back to my first statement. Everyone should IPDE life…not just driving. In life, 100% of the time, we are gonna face challenges and bad times. Life can be very complexed. How should we navigate through troubling times? How can we adapt to become a better person?
- IDENTIFY where you are currently. I know a bad time or the current you isn’t a pretty sight, but closing your eyes to the present is even worse. Trying to find an escape does nothing but prolong where you are. Take note and embrace the present.
- PREDICT the best and worst case scenarios. Most of us got the “worst case scenarios” down to a science. Be balanced and make sure you can see the best case scenario as well. You need to do this because you will have to…
- DECIDE what to do next. Not making a choice is the worst thing you can do. You must commit to some form of a solution or adjustment. Once you do that, then…
- EXECUTE that decision. Knowing is half the battle. You must act. No motion is bad. Slow motion is better than no motion. You must continue to move forward. Execution guarantees change. Sometimes your situation may not change, but you will…and vice versa.
Take the IPDE approach, and you will navigate efficiently and effectively through life, and decrease your chance of stress.
