Prudent fallbacks prevent freak-outs

No worries, no pressure, no problem.

Much easier said than done, right? I mean who doesn’t worry, who feels no pressure, and who among us doesn’t have any problems?

There are a few old sayings and quotes that I rely on when I am feeling worried, stressed, or pressured and that usually bring me back to center, “Wait to worry,” “Don’t sweat the small stuff, because it’s all small stuff,” and “Panic is your worst enemy.” There are many more, but those are my “go to” self-help lines.

I am often asked about what it’s like to be a coach or motivational speaker and if I ever have those same down days or stressful and pressure packed moments or seasons of life. Some people wonder if I ever really get upset or angry, assuming I just go through life with an easy and even temperament all the time. You know, smooth sailing and never having my boat rocked.

Well I can share with you that just like every one of you reading this column, I too have my moments of anger, frustration, worry, stress, doubt and fear. And never mind about smooth sailing and never rocking the boat, sometimes it all happens at once like a tidal wave crushing down upon me. Have you been there yourself? Maybe not everything at once, but I am confident that we have all shared some of the very same feelings and emotions.

So the natural progression of the conversation turns into a question as someone might ask me how I personally deal with those feelings, emotions and situations. I will share with you what I have shared with them.

Wait to worry. Statistics say that 98 percent of things that we worry about are not worth worrying about at all. They have either already happened and now we just have to work through and past the fallout; what we worry about actually turns out to be an opportunity instead of a threat or problem; worrying will never change the outcome, it will actually limit our ability to see and think clearly enough to address the situation; or the things we are worrying about will actually never happen. So wait to worry.

Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff. Have you ever noticed how one simple little problem can escalate to a massive issue in our own mind? We sometimes have a tendency to get so focused on the little situations, tasks, and events that we lose sight of all of the beauty and wonderful things surrounding us. We get caught up on the little faults of our friends, family, and co-workers that we forget all about the incredible gifts and talents they have to offer. When we sweat the small stuff we will find even more small stuff to sweat. When we look for the good, we will find the good things in life to celebrate.

Panic is your worst enemy. How many times have we jumped to conclusions and fell victim to our fears and doubts? We get so entrenched in the fear that we cannot possibly feel hopeful or see a positive outcome or resolution. Panic also clouds our judgment and ability to respond properly. When we panic we tend to overreact to the situation at hand. When calm replaces panic it gives birth to hope. And when we have hope and live with hope our actions and attitudes reflect that hope and we can find our way out of the worry, pressure and problems that we face.

How about you? Can you wait to worry, stop sweating the small stuff, and replace panic with calm? I would love to hear all about it at gotonorton@gmail.com and when we can minimize the worry, pressure, and problems in our lives, it really will be a better than good week.

Michael Norton is a resident of Castle Rock, the former president of the Zig Ziglar Corporation, a strategic consultant and a business and personal coach.

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