Did you know that fear exercises, builds muscles, and gets stronger?
It’s a scary thought. However, fear grows strong in the gym of the mind. Every time we worry, imagine a dismal end to a project, or fret about not being good enough, lucky enough, smart enough, or always in the wrong place at the wrong time, we send fear to the fitness center of imagination.
And the fear grows stronger and more muscular with imaginings about everything that can and (increasingly likely) will go wrong.
Sadly, this is the exact opposite of what we want. This is turning a fear into the equivalent of Charles Atlas, the most recognizable name in fitness from the 1920’s until his death in 1972.
A fear like the fear of failure usually starts like the “97-pound weakling” made famous in Atlas’ decades of ads. After Atlas’ fitness program, the weakling transforms himself into the picture of fitness and strength.
Dwell on a fear and you have unwittingly given the fear a gym membership with unlimited visits. Instead, here’s how to turn fear into the “97-pound weakling.” that Atlas’ ads made famous for 50 years.
Rather than give fear a free membership to the gym of the mind, ask yourself “Instead of this, what do I want?”
It’s a simple question. And it completely interrupts the sequence of worry, negative self-talk, dismal mental movies, and the sinking feeling of success slipping away.
“Instead of this, what do I want?” focuses the mind away from the fear and towards a desirable outcome. It tunes your attention to more harmonious scenarios. Do this often enough and the fear’s muscular physique fades away rapidly. And when we withdraw our attention from anything, it wilts and withers quickly.
If you’ve ever started an exercise program, made excellent progress, and then quit for some reason, you know what this looks and feels like!
And you might even take the metaphor of exercise a step further. Besides asking “Instead of this, what do I want?” weaken your fear even more with some physical activity.
This can be as simple as standing up and stretching or as strenuous as a 5-mile run. It’s up to you. As long as you interrupt your fear’s headlong rush to the gym, it will look more like a weakling than a strongman.
So fear the fear that you allow to exercise. Ask “Instead of this, what do I want?” and send it to the couch instead of the gym.
© 2007 Tony Papajohn
Tony Papajohn coaches excellence and specializes in money. If you are a real estate investor, financial trader, entrepreneur, or want money to treat you like its new best friend, check out Tony’s free e-courses at http://www.WelcomeMoreMoney.com .
