How to Conquer Fears and Worries

"More than any other time in history, mankind face a crossroad. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, and the other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly." - Woody Allen (Side Effect)

Is it possible to live a fear-free and worry-free life with what is happening around us? That is the one million-dollar question I have often found people asking me. We all face so much fear in life, both the poor and the rich. You will be surprise to note that the rich also cry.

Fear is the very natural and normal response to the challenges we face in life. Fear tells us that there is something we must be cautious about. It puts us on alert and tells us there is something we must be prepared for. We face so many fears in life: fear of change, fear of the unknown and fear of rejection, amongst others. But the single greatest obstacle to success in adult life is fear of failure.

The average person starts out in life with very few negative emotions. As he goes through life, negative emotions begin to accumulate like souvenirs. It is impossible for us to realise our full potential unless we leave our negative emotions behind. And there is one negative emotion that seems to be endemic to our society: 'worry'. Worry is a sustained form of fear caused by indecision. This means that as soon as we make a decision to act in any worrisome situation; fear, tension and stress begin to diminish.

But how do we conquer fears and worries? One of the best ways to conquer fear is to face it. If we face fears and worries we 'step up', but when we run away from it we 'step off' from the race of life.

In self-development seminars we are told that when faced with worry we should apply the master method, which is one of the most powerful methods of dealing with fear. First of all, define very clearly what you're worrying about. The second step is to ask yourself 'what is the worst possible outcome of the situation?' The third step is to resolve to accept the worst, should it, and the final step is to do everything humanly possible to make sure that the worst does not happen.

But my mother has a different approach on how to conquer fears and worries. Hers is spiritual. She asks me to go into my Bible and recite the Psalms. Anytime I am confronted with fears and worries, Psalms have a way of comforting me. They give me confidence that if I entrust Him with my fears and worries, He will take care of it because He never fails.

Dayo Olomu is a UK-based Motivational Speaker, Writer, Business/Life Coach, Trainer, Media Entrepreneur and Competent Toastmaster. His core belief is that we are all endowed with seeds of greatness, and his mission is to help individuals and organisations achieve their full potentials. He is the author of best selling "4 Indispensable Strategies for Success" and the President of Croydon Communicators Toastmasters. Get his FREE monthly Rise to the Top ezine by sending a blank email to subscribe@dayoolomu.com or visit his website at: www.dayoolomu.com

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Palestinians pray over the bodies of  people killed near a United Nations school Tuesday, during their funeral in the Jebaliya refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009. Israel's military paused its Gaza offensive for three hours Wednesday to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, and the country's leaders debated whether to accept an international cease-fire plan or expand the assault against Hamas. With criticism rising of the operation's spiraling civilian death toll and Gazans increasingly suffering the effects of nonstop airstrikes and shelling, Israel's military said it opened 'humanitarian corridors' to allow aid supplies to reach Palestinians.(AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)AP - Israel resumed its Gaza offensive Wednesday, bombing heavily around suspected smuggling tunnels near the border with Egypt after a three-hour lull to allow in humanitarian aid. Hamas responded with a rocket barrage.



People looks for jobs in front of computer screens at the California Employment Development Department in Sunnyvale, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. The country lost nearly 2 million jobs through November and more bad news is expected this week when the government releases data on weekly jobless claims and December unemployment. No matter how bad those numbers are, and economists expect at least another 500,000 jobs were lost last month, the pain is stretching into 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)AP - Pink slips are piling higher as companies scramble to cut costs even deeper to survive the country's economic and financial storms.



President-elect Barack Obama gestures during a news conference at his transition office in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, where he introduced Nancy Killefer, right, to the newly created position of chief performance officer. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)AP - Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs — even as he campaigned anew to spend the largest pile of taxpayer money in history to revive the sinking economy.



Illinois U.S. Senate Appointee Roland Burris, left, meets with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP - Senate Democrats beat a hasty retreat Wednesday from their rejection of Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's successor, yielding to pressure from Obama himself and from senators irked that the standoff was draining attention and putting them in a bad light. Burris said with a smile he expected to join them "very shortly."



President-elect Barack Obama is welcomed by President George W. Bush for a meeting at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, with former presidents, from left, George H.W. Bush, Bill  Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP - Confronting a grim economy and a Middle East on fire, Barack Obama turned Wednesday to perhaps the only people on the planet who understand what he's in for: the four living members of the U.S. presidents' club.



In this photo provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation, water rushes past a washed out road near Blewett Pass on U.S. highway 97 in Washington State on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009 in Washington State. (AP Photo/Washington State Department of Transportation)AP - Rain and high winds lashed Washington state Wednesday, causing widespread avalanches, mudslides, flooding and road closures as the heavy snowfall that has buried parts of the state began to rapidly melt.



Workers put bulletproof glass on President-elect Barack Obama's Inaugural Reviewing Stand on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)AP - The upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama is an attractive target for international and domestic terrorists, but U.S. intelligence officials have no information about specific threats to the Jan. 20 event.



Christian Bale accepts the favorite action movie award for 'The Dark Knight' at the 35th Annual People's Choice Awards on Wednesday Jan. 7, 2009 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)AP - Holy People's Choice Awards, Batman!



Harvard's Jeremy Lin (4) drives for the basket in front of Boston College's Rakim Sanders in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP - Jeremy Lin scored 27 points to lead Harvard to an 82-70 upset over No. 17 Boston College on Wednesday night, three days after the Eagles upset previously top-ranked North Carolina.



In this  Sept. 28, 2008 file photo, New York Jets coach Eric Mangini gestures on the sidelines during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Cleveland Browns have agreed to hire Eric Mangini as their head coach, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)AP - Eric Mangini is the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, a week after being fired by the New York Jets. A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that Mangini will be introduced Thursday at a news conference at the team's headquarters in Berea.



An Israeli soldier stands next to blindfolded Palestinian prisoners after they were arrested during an Israeli military operation in the northern Gaza Strip January 7, 2009, in this picture released by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday she had pressed Israel to seriously consider an Egyptian ceasefire plan as the U.N. Security Council weighed action to end Israel's attack on Gaza. (IDF/Handout/Reuters)Reuters - Israeli warplanes bombed targets across the Gaza Strip on Thursday and tanks advanced on Palestinian guerrillas as U.S. backing for a truce proposal raised expectations of an end to the offensive.



A share trader reacts while checking share prices in front of the German share price index DAX board at the German stock exchange in Frankfurt, December 18, 2008. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)Reuters - A fresh wave of profit warnings and job cuts soured investor sentiment on Thursday after an employment report suggested U.S. job losses in December could be the worst in almost 60 years.



Senate-designate Roland Burris talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Reid's office on Capitol Hill, January 7, 2009. (Larry Downing/Reuters)Reuters - In an abrupt switch, Democratic leaders began talks on Wednesday to swear in Roland Burris, appointed by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.



President Bush greets President-elect Barack Obama at the White House, November 10, 2008. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)Reuters - The U.S. budget deficit will swell to a record $1.186 trillion in fiscal 2009, congressional forecasters said on Wednesday, the result of an economic recession that has cut tax receipts and caused massive government bailouts of banks and automakers.



Reuters - U.S. cities are vulnerable to an attack like the gun-and-grenade assault that terrorized Mumbai for three days and killed 179 people, the White House homeland security adviser said on Wednesday.

Ali al-Marri, who has been held for 5-1/2 years at a U.S. military prison in South Carolina, is seen in this undated photograph released to Reuters on January 6, 2008. An early test for President-elect Barack Obama will be the case of suspected al Qaeda 'sleeper' agent Marri, which will force Obama to take a position on his predecessor's claim that anyone the president deems a national security threat can be imprisoned indefinitely without charges in the United States. (Handout/Reuters)Reuters - The case of Ali al-Marri, accused of being an al Qaeda "sleeper" agent and held for 5-1/2 years at a U.S. military prison in South Carolina, will be an early test for President-elect Barack Obama.



Eggs are stacked up at an egg farm in San Diego County, July 29, 2008. (Mike Blake/Reuters)Reuters - An outbreak of salmonella food poisoning has made 388 people sick across 42 states, sending 18 percent of them to the hospital, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday.



Bernard Madoff is escorted in a vehicle from Federal Court in New York, January 5, 2009. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff should be jailed for violating a court order by mailing $1 million worth of diamonds, watches and other jewelry to friends and family, U.S. prosecutors told a court on Wednesday.



A Palestinian protestor flashes the V for 'victory' sign in front of an Israeli soldier near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's old city. Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.(AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)AFP - Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.



A woman looks at a manometer set on a gas pipe at a compressor station in the Ukrainian city of Boyarka. Envoys from Russia and Ukraine go to Brussels on Thursday for emergency EU-brokered talks to resolve a bitter gas fight between the two ex-Soviet giants that has engulfed Europe in a major energy crisis.(AFP/File/Sergei Supinsky)AFP - Envoys from Russia and Ukraine go to Brussels on Thursday for emergency EU-brokered talks to resolve a bitter gas fight between the two ex-Soviet giants that has engulfed Europe in a major energy crisis.




Where Did We Miss?

Talking with friends, people I meet on a regular basis, I realized... Read More

Consulting Your Soul

Recently I approached a traffic light where a man stood in shabby... Read More

On Sunsets and Telecom

Another perfect sunset seen from Redondo Beach, California. Since arriving here in... Read More

How To Deal With Shyness

Although shyness can be overcome, there is a fair chance that certain... Read More

Perception

My friend Donald said to me one evening, "this is what I... Read More

One Night Stand

Direct Answers - Column for the week of February 24, 2003I met... Read More

Self Esteem - What It Really Is and How to Raise It

Self esteem.Now there's a well used and little understood term. Self esteem... Read More

Sissys Show of Support

I had been fighting with the software program that I used to... Read More

A Little Blessing Changes Everything

"We're on a one-game winning streak!" That's what freshman Dawan Boxley said... Read More

Quitting Before It Even Starts

Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They... Read More

The Procrastinating Perfectionist

Are you a procrastinating perfectionist? I once read an article dealing with... Read More

How A Sense Of Wonder Makes Life Richer

It always amazes me when I meet someone who has a disdain... Read More

The Dead

Direct Answers - Column for the week of February 9, 2004I love... Read More

Wherever You Are, Be There

One of the major reasons why we fail to find happiness or... Read More

Order and Law

When disorder comes into our lives, we obviously aren't paying any attention... Read More

Circles On The Water ? The Impact You Make On People?s Lives

When you were a child, or maybe even when you were older,... Read More

Lifes Purpose

To every life, there is a purpose; a purpose of will and... Read More

The Power of the Tongue

There is an old proverb with a lot of wisdom. It says,... Read More

Ask the Angels - Get Specific !

There are Angels for everything and they are just waiting for us... Read More

Essential Ingredient

Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 15, 2003I have... Read More

I Hate My Computer and Other Inspirational Thoughts

The New Year has not started out very well for Yours Truly.... Read More

Contemptable Temptation

Let's look at the lesson we should all pay attention to in... Read More

Energy Work Basics Part 3: The Power of High Intention

At SPIRIT Connections, we believe that the most powerful tool we have... Read More

Lewis And Clark Pay Attention

As I write this Southern California has just ended its second week... Read More

Tranquility

It's all in the mind- your mind.It's not brought about in an... Read More

Ctrl-Alt-Delete Your Life

Ah, the good old "Vulcan nerve pinch", the three-fingered salute, the one-handed... Read More

Tsunami

This article was channelled through me by an entity called Joseth (My... Read More

Vistas

The other day I found myself frustrated with the slow progress on... Read More

Financial Freedom Blues

Steps to Financial Freedom, roadmap to financial freedom, achieve financial freedom?Financial freedom... Read More

Teachers Pet

Direct Answers - Column for the week of October 20, 2003I am... Read More

The Women At The Cross (Reflections On The Death And Resurrection Of Jesus)

The women at the cross. Have you ever thought about them?Why not... Read More

Message From An Angel - Is It Yours ?

This is a message from an Angel. Can you relate? Is it... Read More

Rocking The Boat

I work in a factory, and we have supervisors who play favorites.... Read More

The One Thing You Really Want

There is one thing you want...My guess is you want it so... Read More

Work In Progress: 10 Benefits of Not Knowing It All

1. You can relax and enjoy your life more if you don't... Read More

The Cracked Pot

Letters on Life#3Some experiences you never forget. In some of them there... Read More

Stay With It!

I walked out of his office inspired. All I could immediately recall... Read More

5 Simple Tips For A Better Life

How can we enjoy a better lifestyle?'Easy' I hear you say, all... Read More

The Road Not Taken

Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 24, 2003My husband... Read More

The Tiniest of Gladiators

I stared into those biggest of navy blue eyes and felt the... Read More

Such Love Transforms

Everything was arranged: once the funeral was over, all were to go... Read More

Getting Unstuck

According to the Buddhists, between January 29 and February 12 is the... Read More

Blessings and Art of Living

My perception is that universe infinitely blesses us every moment. Why we... Read More

Anamchara - Living a Meaningful Life

At some stage of living your life you will ask the question... Read More

Fulfill Your Dreams: Believe in You

What we believe plays a very big role in outcomes in our... Read More

Dare To Dream

The rewards of life come to those who do, not to those... Read More

Spirits Language: How to Tell Whos Who in Your Inner Conversations

Your Spirit is continuously beaming communications to you. As long as your... Read More