When I think of the last couple of weeks, a clear theme springs to mind: it’s the time of running away.

Prince Harry and Princess Meghan run away from Royal Household duties, Carlos Ghosn, the former executive of Nissan and Mitsubishi, runs away from the Japanese justice system, and Shohreh Bayat, a female sports executive from Iran, runs away from a repressive regime.

While I’m usually not a supporter of running away in the face of challenges, in all these three cases, I have a lot of sympathies. I haven’t been in their situations, yet I wouldn’t want to face what they are going through.

Meghan and Harry have to deal with thousands of journalists who make up stories 24/7, and they have to fight a lot of false and hurtful reporting.

Regardless of whether Ghosn did something illegal, he has a right to a fair trial. Yet he was caught in a judiciary with a conviction rate of 95+%. Even though the investigation was still ongoing, for weeks, he was not allowed to see his wife, even during the Christmas season.

Bayat had to cope with constant repressions due to her gender, her choice of clothing, and her opinions. I don’t want to deal with any of this, and I get it that they ran away.

Options to Deal with These Kind of Situations

A former manager of mine had great advice when we find ourselves in situations we don’t like. He said you have three acceptable options:

• Stay where you are and work to change the situation
• Stay where you are, accept it and shut up about it
• Leave (i.e., run away)

The option you don’t have is to stay, do nothing, and whine. Unfortunately, that is what many people do.

As you find yourself in your own “escape-worthy” situations, think back to those three acceptable options. Make your choice and go with it.