Tip# 2 – Part 1 – Stop Worrying by Pre-Planning Your Overreactions

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All humans experience uncertainty, it is part of living on planet Earth.Our brains have learned to adapt to difficult situations constantly, that is why we were able to survive thus far in our evolutionary journey.

Uncertainty is an uncomfortable state of mind which may lead to WORRYING because your brain cannot see how to move forward in life.

Because of this, you try to solve a problem by going through as many outcomes as you can that have not happened yet.This may lead to GENERATING WORRY or as it is known in the business world paralysis by analysis.

Dr. Marty Rossman in his book The Worry Solution writes:

“Solving problems is the positive, healthy function of worry, but worry can easily turn into a bad habit of endless rumination about frightening, threatening, or simply annoying matters that ultimately cannot be solved. This kind of unskillful worrying can become a self-defeating form of self-suggestion that creates or amplifies anxiety and stress where none really needs to be (p.4)”.

Another author Robert L. Leahy who wrote The Worry Cure book, states these popular reasons for worrying:

1. You seek to gain more confidence about an issue

2. You demand more information

3. You believe gaining certainty will reduce your risk of harm

4. You wait indefinitely to take action

5. If you don’t know for sure, then you conclude that it will turn out badly

Do you know what all these 5 reasons have in common?

They initiate your brain into THINKING MODE to create different IMAGINARY scenarios that could happen. At this point, what you really have done is created a PERCEPTION that you have more control (which is only in your head) in reality you may have limited or no control at all about what happens.

Of course, you can create a POSITIVE or a NEGATIVE perception about the future.

But, in comparison to your normal (not worried) mind, when you are constantly IMAGINING THINGS that could happen we convince ourselves that it is the TRUTH.

And then we start believing THIS TRUTH to the point where it becomes our REALITY, even though nothing has actually happened.

What you need to understand is that for the brain IMAGINED THREAT and REAL THREAT are the same thing. You cannot solve a problem by imagining solutions in your head. The only way to solve a problem is to figure out a solution in real life.

Worrying does the opposite, it keeps you from taking action because you just want to keep coming up with virtual solutions in your head until you got it RIGHT.

Getting it RIGHT = perfectionism which is often a personality trait. If you have it then you must learn to become aware at that moment in time when you are trying to be perfect and then do these 4 things:

• Recognize it - “Oh, it's the perfectionism inside of me causing me to worry about this issue".

• Accept 80% solution – Yes, I know it is hard to accept something that does not fully solve the problem, but if something can solve most of the problem NOW, then this will buy you some time to figure out how to solve the rest of the problem later.

• Outsource it to someone else – it does not matter if it is personal or business, if you can pay someone else to find the answers for you then you might worry less.

• Forget it for 1 week – Ivan are you crazy? How can I forget something for one week when it is super important! If it is not a BUSINESS DEADLINE or a matter of LIFE & DEATH you could probably let it go for one week or talk to someone to give you more time. If this cannot be done then accept what you have in the NOW.

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