Billy Arcement’s
News From the Swamp
Issue # 37
Bringing you ideas from The Results
Group Office
on
“Working with business leaders to produce a culture of
teamwork, productivity and profits.”
Please recommend this newsletter to a friend or associate.
When you receive this newsletter, print, three-hole punch and place it in a binder for future review. Place the binder in your bookcase. Take the binder with you on trips to read in down time. Review it while you’re sitting down glancing at your TV screen or create your own unique way to re-read the words. Reviewing the messages reinforces the content and expands the possibilities of retention and implementation of information shared. Put the ideas to work for you. This is how winners learn and grow and I believe you are a winner!
Worry. We all engage in it. But understand that worry is spending our time “thinking about what we don’t want to happen.” And, if you understand the power of the mind, you know it acts on our thoughts. Therefore, thinking negatively (worrying) increases the potential of our worrying becoming our reality.
If we regularly analyze our worries, we would probably find that most of what we worried about never became reality. Dale Carnegie in his classic book, How To Stop Worrying and Start Living, outlines three steps to conquer worry:
Spending needless time worrying about what could happen is energy draining. Worry can program you to fail. It affects your concentration and thus diminishes your ability to solve your dilemma. As Carnegie says, perhaps it’s time to stop worrying and start living.
Worry is also a builder of stress—the silent killer. In this hectic world, we are bombarded with stressors virtually every moment of our life. How one reacts to these stressors is critical. People who don’t learn how to handle stress well end up with ulcers, high blood pressure, heart attacks, or some other life-threatening illness. Make no mistake. The wrong kind of stress can kill you.
Reducing stress requires one to answer these two questions: (1) What am I worrying about? (2) What can I do about it? Gather all the information you can about your situation and formulate a plan to overcome and eliminate the source of your worry. What it comes down to is taking some action. Doing nothing can trigger anxiety, worry, stress and potentially death.
Resolve today to be aggressive in reducing and eliminating stressors in your life. It’s an important step towards a healthier lifestyle and a long, productive life.
You Only Have This Moment
An important idea to remember as you work on worry elimination is that the only moment upon which you can take action is now. What happened yesterday is out of your control as is the future to a large extent. Proper preparation today makes your future brighter and life less worrisome. Identify your worries, think through solutions and take action—three important steps to help you seize the moment.
The following article was sent to me and written by Stan Popovich. It prompted me to address the subject in this month’s newsletter. I’ve edited it a bit to fit into my newsletter format without changing Stan’s original message. Hope you find value in the article. You may want to check out his website and order his book.
Looking for all the answers on how to manage
your most persistent fears and anxieties? I deal with fear on a personal level. Here is what I did to find answers to help me
manage my anxieties.
First, I
went to my local bookstore to find books that dealt with fear and anxiety. I searched for techniques to help me manage my
particular fears and anxieties. Each
book said something different and there wasn’t always a complete review of all
the techniques I needed. To help, I
started a notebook and every time I found a technique that was useful in
managing my fears, I wrote it down.
Next, I talked to various professionals in
the psychology and religious fields.
Their thoughts were added to my notebook. They shared ideas like using positive self
talk, thought stopping techniques, and breaking an overwhelming problem into
its smallest parts. For example, I was
told to visualize a red stop sign in my mind when I encountered a fear
provoking thought. The stop sign would
remind me to stop focusing on that thought and to think of something else.
I used the technique of breaking down a
problem while conducting a job search. First
I developed my resume. Then I submitted
my resume to companies that might hire me.
Next, I began focusing on the interview process. By doing this, I reduced the anxiety and
prevented myself from becoming overwhelmed with the process.
Each time I now face a fearful or anxiety
related situation, I use the information in my notebook to help me. I examine which technique worked and which
ones didn't. The result has been an
overall improvement in managing my fears and anxieties.
I’ve continued my research for almost
fourteen years. That research lead me to write a book The Layman’s Guide To Managing Fear. The book presents all the ways I’ve
learned to help manage those hard to manage fears. Information on my book can be found at http://www.trebleheartbooks.com/mvStanPopovich.html.
No matter how difficult it is to manage your
fear and anxieties, the answers are out there if you look hard enough. It takes
some hard work and persistence, but it is possible to find those techniques
that work for you.
As I write this newsletter, Hurricane Ivan is headed in my direction. Having experienced a number of hurricanes in my lifetime, I’ve learned to respect them. They are fearful events. But preparation helps reduce the fears and anxiety these monstrous storms bring. My windows are boarded and items have been removed from my yard that can grow “wings” with the surge of wind Ivan could bring. We are also praying a bit. The eye is currently aimed a bit to the east but we will probably get fairly strong winds tonight (why do hurricanes always hit land at night?).
I’m comfortable we’ll survive. But like anything fearful, reducing the stress demands proper preparation covered with a little prayer. We’ve done all three. It’s out of my hands.
“Heal your grievances, control your finances,
focus your energies on building knowledge and serving others and there will be
little time left to spend worrying.”
The Professional Speaker:
Experience
the wit and wisdom of Billy’s messages at your next meeting.
Executive Coaching / Management Consulting: Use Billy’s problem-solving skills and vast experience base
to improve your leadership and management skills.
The School Board Strategist: Billy is considered by many school boards as their number
one resource for enhancing board performance.
The Author: Get his book, Searching for Success, today. It can make a difference.
Call
Please notify
Children First! Spread the Word
Children First, my newsletter offering parenting tips, continues to grow
very nicely. If you know of an
organization or group of parents who might be interested in reading this
newsletter email me at barcement@eatel.net
and place “children” in the subject line.
The next issue goes out October 1.
Value Added
Ideas
You may reprint content from
this newsletter or from past issues.
We’re also happy to provide you with articles from our archive of
previously published articles to add value to your publications. Before you do, please send an email request
to barcement@eatel.net and specify
your needs.
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