Practice
Allocate half an hour each week to indulge your dirty fears. Any
other time during the week when you find yourself in dirty fear
space, stop immediately, make a note of the fear and gently tell
yourself you’ll think about that fear again during your allocated dirty
fear time. Consciously focus your mind on the task at hand. When it’s
time for your weekly “dirty fear indulgence”, look at your list and
enjoy spending half an hour imagining the worst possible scenarios.
Now write down three actions you could take to prevent these
scenarios and then take them.Generally speaking, clean fear sends you into immediate action. Dirty fear does not.
As your awareness grows and you find certain fears dominate your life – think about
what action you can take to reduce the possibility of your dirty fear becoming a
reality. For instance, if you worry about your partner being unfaithful, what steps can
you take towards building and strengthening your relationship? Take action. If you’re
worrying about your money situation, what steps can you take to create a more
secure financial situation? Take action. You’ll find the more action you take in the
face of your imagined fears, the more those imagined fears diminish.
The less time you spend on dirty, imagined fears, the more motivated you’ll feel
about your life. The more motivated you feel, the more energy you’ll have to expend
on actions that create the kind of life you enjoy living.
After all, it’s difficult to feel motivated if you’re feeling anxious and stressed.
Reducing the amount of time you spend in an anxious and distressed state allows
you to dedicate more positive energy to living an enjoyable life.
“Remember to light a candle
instead of cursing the darkness.”
Chinese Proverb