Do the work of worrying and procrastination/failure will get you no more!
I recently finished The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play and I have to say, it was quite an eye opener.
This particular section on doing the WORK OF WORRYING, as opposed to just letting the worrying get me down, was a real ah-ha moment for me. Time to put some of this good information to use! Here is a snippet of the technique for ya’ll to look over.
The Work of Worrying (tackle the Fear of FAILURE):
- the body’s worry response should be used as a guide or hint that there is something that needs to be analyzed and planned for. Worrying alone, without a plan on what to do, only serves to cause stress.
- fear of failure (being less than PERFECT!) in a skill leads to not trying so as to not deliver anything less than perfect – this eventually leads to atrophy of the skill – which again leads to further and further spiraling toward non-work and atrophy
- threatening self-talk (which can be started by parents who use threats to achieve goals) leads to anxiety, then resistance, then procrastination, and then more failure
Do the WORK of worrying to develop the energy into useful output – to protect you and prepare you to take proper action.
6 Steps to do the Work of Worrying:
- Step 1: What is the worst that could happen? I need to acknowledge the worst case scenario that can happen, but not stop there as that will only keep the worry repeating itself. Go to Step 2.
- Step 2: What would I do if the worst really happened? I must consider where would I get hope, how to cope, and what after that? And then what? Know and say with conviction that there is no event that could stop me from carrying on. Go to Step 3.
- Step 3: How would I lessen the pain and get on with as much happiness as possible even if the worst possible did occur? How would I go through forgiving myself, learning, and returning to the task / life / minimize time outside of task? Remember the strengths that I can build on / past achievements / talents. Go to Step 4.
- Step 4: What alternatives will I give myself? Have I limited my options by thinking there is only one path of success? I must get past this idea that I will only tolerate life on my own terms. I have many ways to be happy and successful. Go to Step 5.
- Step 5: What can I do NOW to lessen the chance that the worst possible will happen? Is there some task I have been putting off? Go to Step 6.
- Step 6: Is there anything that I can do NOW that will increase my chances of achieving my goal? Having gone through the steps, you are now ready to achieve more without the burden of worrying. You rock!!!