Fear = F.E.A.R. — "Fantasized Experiences Appearing Real." Worry is "a sustained form of fear caused by indecision" — a conditioned response usually learned from worrying parents. Worry is negative goal setting: by the laws of concentration, expectation, and attraction, dwelling on the feared outcome draws it toward you ("that which I greatly feared has come upon me" — Job).
The worry statistics
- 40% of worries never happen
- 30% are in the past and unchangeable
- 12% are needless health worries
- 10% are petty
- Only 8% are substantial — and half of those are outside your control
- → ~96% of worry is irrelevant
Three remedies
- Live one day at a time — Teddy Roosevelt: "Do what you can, where you are, with what you have."
- Get the facts — real facts, not apparent facts; most worry situations evaporate when you have them.
- The Worry Buster — 4 steps:
- Define the worry clearly in writing ("accurate diagnosis is 50% of the cure"; untangle "cluster situations").
- Determine the worst possible outcome — ask "will it kill me?" No — you recover from almost anything.
- Resolve to accept the worst should it occur ("what cannot be cured must be endured").
- Begin immediately to improve upon the worst. (In business: minimax regret analysis; J. Paul Getty ran worst-case analysis on every deal.)
Exercise
Two-column page: problem definition on the left, worst possible outcome on the right.
The antidote
Purposeful action — via the Law of Substitution, action on your goals crowds out worry.