Fear, doubt and worry have the power to consume us. To drain us of energy and enthusiasm. To hold us back from achieving success. To prevent us from thriving. And the more the financial crisis worsens, the more powerful they become. So powerful, they can derail our careers and our lives. To the extreme, they can paralyze or even kill us.
Don’t let that happen. I’ve spent too much time letting them affect my life. It wasn’t until I read Napoleon Hill’s book, “Think and Grow Rich”, that I finally conquered them – or at least learned how to keep them in check. You see, these words are in the media, socieiy and our minds. And our minds play nasty tricks on us under stress. When the media bombards us with news of impending financial collapse – fear takes over. We panic. We think irrationally. Or we don’t think. We doubt. We worry. We live in fear.
Despite Wall Street’s rebound and huge bonuses, we’re still in the most serious economic upheavals since the Great Depression. But letting fear, doubt and worry take over does nothing but make the situation worse. I’m not advocating blind optimism but for casting aside their spell so you can take positive action – no matter how small it may be.
Fear, doubt and worry are not productive tools to help you thrive. They’ll only knock you down. The next time you encounter any of them, consider the following strategies to defeat them before they defeat you:
- Acknowledge the source of your fear – what caused it, and what’s the real truth about it?
- Look the worse-case scenario? Then consider the best case. How likely is the worse case?
- Read stories for inspiration of others who have overcome adversity to succeed – such as Harry Truman, Abraham Lincoln or the founders of our country who risked EVERYTHING to do so.
- Take a walk or exercise – physical activity is proven to improve our mental well being.
Then go do something. Take action – even if it’s simply removing fear, doubt and worry from your internal voice. Just know that it takes time – don’t expect them to go away quietly. They’re persistant little words afterall.