Power Points from Peter Lowe
A wise person once said, "Worry is like a rocking chair—it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere"—except maybe sick, exhausted, and demoralized—and often about things that never come to pass anyway. Worry is a thief. It steals your joy and robs you of today because of something tomorrow that might not even happen, and which you cannot even control anyway. As a leader, you’re constantly striving for excellence in yourself first and then in those you lead. You’re involved in important things—and as in any high-stakes endeavor, you may succeed or experience a temporary setback. If you’re not careful, those setbacks can cause worry. As you read these techniques on how to win over worry by the Dale Carnegie, the man who taught us how to win friends and influence people, I hope that you’ll particularly note that:
• If what you fear is inevitable—cooperate with it. Resisting won’t help, but there may be a way to come out strong if you start examining your situation and look for new ways to learn the lessons and win.
• It’s important to analyze instead of agonize. Think about how the situation came to be, the worst possible outcome (because it almost never happens), what you will do differently next time, and how you will start to solve the problem right now. As Harold Stephens said, "There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem, and a concerned person solves a problem."
• Physiology can change reality. If you act out "symptoms of being radiantly happy," you will become radiantly happy!