Drop the Fallback Plan

What is your best advice for a budding entrepreneur?

 

That's the question I asked Jason Atkins, President and CEO of 360 Incentives. I was very interested in his response because Jason understands what it takes to succeed. In fact, his company recently secured a $7.65 million investment led by OMERS Ventures and it was named one of Deloitte's "Fast 50" companies to watch for 2013.

What was Jason's answer? He said, "Jump two feet in. You've got to go all in. Don't make a fallback plan." He explained when he started 360 Incentives he made the decision "to be successful or die trying."

Here is my interpretation of what he said: You must believe you'll succeed. Creating a fallback plan plants a seed in your mind that you don't really believe you'll be victorious. What you believe will become your future. If you believe you'll succeed, you'll find success. If you believe you'll fail, you'll find failure.

This doesn't mean you take foolish risks or that by believing you'll succeed you will not experience any challenges. You must have challenges in your life--and you will have them. That's how you grow, learn, and become better. It also keeps your life from being predictable and dull.

Going "all in" when it comes to following your dreams--whether your dream is to start a new business, get into the best shape of your life, or create abundance and happiness--means you believe what you're trying to achieve is possible and you trust in your ability to transform those dreams into reality.

Will you be afraid sometimes? Of course. It's part of being human. But, don't let the fear stop you. Don't let fear stop you from stepping up to the plate and taking action. Run into your fear. Run into your dreams. You really can succeed at living and creating your very best life.

What if you don't know exactly what it is you want? What if fear is keeping you stuck? Or, what if you do know what you want but are unsure of how to get from where you are now to exactly where you want to be?

Your Life, Your Design seminar on DVD, featuring Denise Marek, has the answers for you. During this power-packed presentation, Denise will take you on a step by step journey to designing--and living--your best and happiest life.

Your Life, Your Design

NOW on DVD!

Your Life, Your Design is the one program that will truly ignite the courage within you to move forward and change your life forever. In this 70-minute seminar on DVD, you'll:

#1. Learn how to get from where you are now to exactly where you want to be.

#2. Release anything that's getting in the way of what you want to do, be, or have.

#3. Uncover your true authentic self.

#4. Gain the courage to live the life of your heart's desires.

#5. Free yourself from unhealthy thinking and negative belief systems.

#6. Let go of the fears that keeps you stuck and struggling.

#7. Uncover what you truly want and move forward into a happier future.

#8. Discover 6 ways to banish doubt.

 

Introductory Price

$39.95 + HST

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(Regular Price $59.95)

Mastercard and Visa are accepted

 

To Order:

 

Call 1-877-553-7397

 or

Email: operator@denisemarek.com

How to Get Rid of Worry Series: Step Three - Let Go of the Uncontrollable

If you’re afraid that letting go of worry will be impossible, let me assure you that you can kick the habit, no matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’re going through. This former chronic worrier did, and you can, too!

So far in this How to Get Rid of Worry series, you’ve learned to: Challenge Your Assumptions and Act to Control the Controllable. Now we’re moving onto the third step in the CALM process:

L = Let Go of the Uncontrollable

In CALM, you’ll find 52 worry-busting strategies that have helped me and thousands of others who have attended my seminars and keynotes over the years to kick the worry-habit. Some of them will help you erase your anxieties. Others have been designed to help your body recover from the physical toll that stress takes on it. 

Here are three strategies you can implement today to help you kick the worry habit:

• Eliminate worry-inducing words from your vocabulary. Words such as should, can’t, no one, everyone, always, and never create a great deal of anxiety. Write down what you’re stressed about and circle all the worry-inducing words. Then replace them with terms such as could, prefer, can, choose not to, some people, sometimes, and occasionally. These replacement words are calming and they also tend to be more accurate.

• Trust yourself. You’ve already handled everything that life has dealt to you; trust you’ll be able to handle whatever else comes your way. Affirm: I have the skills I need to solve problems. I have survived and thrived beyond challenges in the past, and I trust that if the need arises, I can do it again!

• Have faith in happy endings. Calm your mind today by imagining the best for tomorrow. Click here to read a past blog post on how to do just that.

This week, while you’re letting go of the uncontrollable, continue acting to control the controllable and challenging your assumptions. There is one more step to add to the mix and that is to Master your Mind. Next week, you’ll find out how to use that fourth step to guard against negative thinking. Until then, keep well!

How to Get Rid of Worry Series: Step Two (Cont'd) - Take Action for the Right Reasons

In the last post, you learned sometimes worry serves you and the value of taking action to control the things you can. To help you follow through on your action plan when you’re faced with fear of displeasing others, you want to ensure you take action for the right reasons.

Take Action for the Right Reasons

There are two types of actions. There are things you do for the wrong reasons, such as what you think others want you to do. Then there are actions you take for the right reasons, such as doing what you know is right for you. Sometimes those are the most frightening steps to take, but they’re also the ones that have the most significant impact on the quality of your life. 

I certainly understand how hard it can be to do what’s right for you when faced with the possibility of being judged. For that reason, here are two strategies to help deal with criticism--that I wrote about in book CALM:

• Consider the source. Who’s criticizing you? is it someone you trust, who you know loves you and wants the best for you? Or is it a “small thinker”? There will always be those people in the world who want to knock you down with their negative outlook. Don’t waste your energy trying to figure out why they judge you--it’s an unsolvable puzzle with missing pieces. Instead, invest your energy searching for people who inspire you, believe in you, and accept you for who you are.

• Care about what you think of yourself. You always have the choice between being concerned about what others think of you and caring about what you think of yourself. I strongly recommend that you choose the latter. Don’t sacrifice your life trying to please others. As my mom often said, “The people who love you are going to like you no matter what you do. But there will aways be some people who won’t like you no matter what you do. You can’t please everybody.” It’s time to stop trying to make everyone else happy and to begin being good to yourself.

The next time the fear of displeasing others or receiving criticism is stopping you from doing what you know is right for you, remember to consider the source and care about what you think of yourself. This will go a long way in helping you take action for the right reasons. 

While you’re taking action to control the controllable and while you’re continuing to challenge your assumptions, you’re ready to move on to the third step in the CALM process...and let go of the uncontrollable. The third step will help you to let go of worrying about those things that are beyond your control. It will be on it’s way to you next week. Until then, keep well!

For more information, click here.

How to Get Rid of Worry - Step Two: Act to Control the Controllable

If there was a way you could stop worrying and truly move forward in your life, wouldn’t you want to know about it? There is! The CALM process, outlined in this How to Get Rid of Worry series, is a simple yet powerful formula that will help you to stop worrying and reconnect with the inner peace you desire and deserve.

Last month, we looked at the first step: Challenge Your Assumptions. For many of your worries, challenging negative assumptions will be all you need to do in order to regain your inner peace. However if you’ve done so and still feel worried, move on to the next step in the CALM process: 

A = Act to Control the Controllable

Sometimes worry is prompting you to take action. For instance, concern about your health might be pushing you to see a doctor, consult a nutritionist, or start an exercise program. Stress over your lengthy do-to list might be urging you to delegate, prioritize, or take a time-management course. Financial worries might be compelling you to see a financial advisor, start tracking where you're spending your money, or talk to a credit counsellor.

Is your worry prompting you to take action? Brainstorm alone or with a partner and come up with a list of possible actions that your worries might be suggesting you take. Capture your ideas in writing--it will keep you focused and on track. 

With your action plan in place, you’ll now need courage and motivation to follow through. In CALM, the section on Act to Control the Controllable contains four questions designed to guide you in deciding whether the action you’re considering is worth taking. It also teaches you how to let go of the fears that can stop you from taking action, and gives you ideas that will put the powers of belief and influence to work for you. 


Next week, I’ll send you one of those techniques to help you move forward. Until then, keep challenging your assumptions and taking action to control the controllable! In doing so you'll discover one step at a time, one worry at a time, you'll calm your worried mind.