DOUBT: Who you gonna call?

I recently stumbled across the old ghostbusters theme song and wondered, during periods of doubt, who, or what, are you going to call upon?

Who

I’m sure that if I asked, you could within seconds name a few people that you can count on to give you candid, encouraging advice…people who are in your corner. Another advantage these people afford is that they’re not going to try to sway you one way or another. They respect your right to choose; they simply offer insights that will aid you in making your decision.

In addition to the qualities described above, they bring an objectivity to the analysis that it is often difficult for us to achieve on our own. That’s because, during periods of doubt, we’re confused, anxious and afraid. As we all know, when we’re emotional we don’t think clearly. It’s only after we set the emotions aside that we can make conscious, informed decisions.

That begs the question “Where do you turn when these folks are unavailable?” Everyone has more demands on their time than time to fulfill them. What do you do when they have previous commitments to honor?

What

The good news is that as valuable as these people are in our lives, they aren’t the only resource available to us. We have our own confidence to sustain us.

The key is to remember a few things:

1. Doubt, anxiety and fear are emotions that diminish in milliseconds as we pause and take a deep breath.
2. During this pause, remind yourself of all the things you’ve accomplished, all the challenges you have overcome, even when you had no background or experience.
3. Acknowledge the fact that even in the most challenging situations you’ve never failed to produce a positive result.

These simple steps will allow you to effectively deal with any doubts, anxiety or fears that you’re experiencing…and do so more quickly than you imagined possible.

For you

When doubt, anxiety and fear surface, who you gonna call? Hopefully your confidence. Your confidence is the most readily available and quickest path to dispelling the negative emotions you’re experiencing and returning to an analytical, solutions-oriented mindset.

If that doesn’t work, or work as quickly as you’d like, then call those very special friends we discussed above. They’ll be more than happy to help…and they’ll enjoy the psychic reward of helping a dear friend.

For our kids

As you see your kids experiencing doubts, fear and anxiety, share the tips above with them. Better yet, live this message and your kids will follow your lead. They’re more observant than we realize.