Take a Positive Step

By now, I guess it’s no secret I am opening up my own life coaching office. Just like everyone else, life coaches have highs and lows. And being an entrepreneur, those highs and lows seem to come very frequently.

I learned something important, though, this weekend. Everyone has highs and lows. What matters is how you handle the roller coaster of emotion. Because you can control it and succeed, or you can let it control you and really give it license to make you miserable. What I’m talking about here is whether you worry, or get incredibly anxious over what is going on around you.

When you worry, you understand that there is something that may cause you a problem. You gather the facts and make a plan. You may need to rehearse, devise a checklist to use, pack early so you can get to the train station on time. You plan and do everything to be prepared.

Anxiety is a little different. When you’re anxious, you just worry at an exponential and uncontrollable rate. You’re actually afraid of what might happen, and you believe so many things could happen that are rarely believable options. The next thing you know, you can’t do your work, and everything else you wanted to do is taken over and consumed by this anxiety.

Usually, anxiety will go away as the event that started it winds down and it and is over. Unfortunately, some people just transfer their fear to the next concern and the future. They seem to live in an almost constant turmoil.

The secret to breaking the chain, in part, is to work out planning. Take the things you are concerned about and make a plan.  If you are afraid that you will say something wrong, practice what to say that would be good.  If you feel someone will think less of you, study the things they are interested in or know about.  If you are worried about other things, ask yourself how realistic that scenario would be, and take steps to understand and diminish the chances of that happening.

The positive thing is that you are actually in control of yourself, and you have the power to change what is not helping.

Like everything, small steps are best.  They can lead to significant improvements when they add up.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof