“The thing we fear we bring to pass.”

Elbert Hubbard

I’m not talking about the reactionary survival instinct, our “Spidey Sense”.  I’m talking about the incessant nagging and niggling angst, the dread, the doubt, the anxiety, and the worry that pervades our every waking (and sleeping) moment.  The consternation and foreboding of bad juju.  The thing that keeps you in a constant state of uneasiness.  It could be related to your relationships, your finances, your health, your job, your family, or the Zombie Apocalypse, the impending doom of an economic meltdown, nuclear war, pestilence, or the milk being out of date.

When FDR said, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself,” he wasn’t kidding.  If you have to fear, if you have to worry about something (because that’s how you see yourself, as a worrier), than worry about worrying so much.  Be afraid of fear taking over your life.

Getting control of worry and fear is easier said than done, it’s like me telling you NOT to think about a red elephant.  What did you just think about? (Don’t think about that.  Hey, you did it again. Stop thinking about a red elephant.)  Which brings us to the opening quote, “The thing we fear, we bring to pass.”

Here’s an example: My little girl was carrying a full glass of milk to the table the other day. Instead of telling her, “Be careful.  Do NOT spill that milk”, my wife told her to look ahead to where she was going and to focus on that point.  She went on to say, “I don’t know why it works that way, but it’ll steady your hand and you won’t spill a drop.”  It worked, and Princess delivered the milk to the table, un-spilt.

Instead of using the language of fear to create worry in my daughter, my wife chose language that gave my daughter somewhere else to focus, replacing fear with confidence.  We have all experienced speaking to ourselves using the language of fear.  Today, try to replace the fear and negative self-talk with positive confidence building action, and redirect your focus.

Boo Yah!!