If You're Fearing the Economy...

Today I received a link to an article in the New York Times by neuroeconomist, Dr. Gregory Berns, that hits the nail on the head about what people are going through in this economic downturn:

"Everyone I know is scared. Workers' fear has generalized to their workplace and everything associated with work and money. We are caught in a spiral in which we are so scared of losing our jobs, or our savings, that fear overtakes our brains. And while fear is a deep-seated and adaptive evolutionary drive for self-preservation, it makes it impossible to concentrate on anything."

He goes on to discuss the neurlogical roots of fear and what we can do to avoid getting sucked into this fear mentality:

"This means not being a fearmonger. It means avoiding people who are overly pessimistic about the economy. It means tuning out media that fan emotional flames. Unless you are a day-trader, it means closing the Web page with the market ticker. It does mean being prepared, but not being a hypervigilant, everyone-in-the-bunker type."

I found it an interesting article but not really much help, in that it failed to address the source of our fears. It's not the economy. That's just an external circumstance that triggers the fear. It's our thoughts about the economy. And that's really the only thing we have any control over.

Several weeks ago when the bad news on the economy started spewing out of the evening news, Internet and newspapers, I found myself thinking fearful thoughts: "We might go broke; nobody will buy my products in this economy; times are going to be bad for my business, etc."

And feelings of fear, insecurity and scarcity followed the thoughts. This was about a week after the September 29 stock market crash of 778 points in one day. Things didn't look good and I was worried, along with millions of other people.

But I had an ace up my sleeve.

No, I didn't have millions of dollars stashed in a foreign bank, waiting for a rainy day. I had something better.

I had The Work (of Byron Katie).

I pulled out a worksheet I call the "Getting Unstuck Worksheet" and spent fifteen or twenty minutes examining my thoughts, "Is it true we'll go broke? How do I react when I think that thought? Who would I be without that thought?"

Pretty soon I discovered that I didn't even have fear to fear! That was just another story, another thought. It was just all thoughts triggered by the external events in the economy. I was fine. I was completely OK. I would do well as I always had in my 24 years of being in business.

But the great thing is that in this simple realization, and with the release of the negative thoughts and feelings, I was flooded with very positive, uplifting feelings. I suddenly felt that I could do anything. I had nothing to lose.

Dr. Berns confirmed this: "The most concrete thing that neuroscience tells us is that when the fear system of the brain is active, exploratory activity and risk-taking are turned off." But when fear is not present, the exploratory system of the brain is active, free to discover, invent, create, and risk.

My usual creative drive went into hyper-drive!

In less than a month I launched the Action Plan Marketing Club, my best work ever, and enrolled over 300 new members in only a couple weeks. I also launched the Marketing Mastery Program (the most expensive program I've ever offered) which is now half full.

I don't think about the economy much these days. At least I don't worry about it. I observe it dispassionately and then get back to my work of making a contribution.

It's certainly a better way to live.

P.S. Thanks to my friend Gary White of Pacific Crest Marketing who forwarded me this article. It got it one minute before starting to write the eZine (with no idea what I was going to write about.) I call that synchronicity!

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The More Clients Bottom Line: The economy will do what it will do. It will go up and it will go down. Are you going to let these external circumstances completely control your life and the way you feel? Use The Work (or whatever technique works for you), to get past the fear and take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that are sitting right in front of your nose.

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Are you ready to stop blaming the economy for your fear and start examining the real cause: your thoughts? Please share your insights on the More Clients Blog.

Comments

[Monica Carter Tagore]

You make an excellent point about fear, and that is that fear does not have to take over our lives. Of course it can be a natural response to changing circumstances or things we can't control, but when we focus on those things we can change and can control, we get a whole new sense of excitement and empowerment.

As a personal development author, I help people see beyond circumstances they consider dismal to see how those circumstances can be changed for the better -- based on their actions. We have a lot of say in our lives. And when we choose to exercise that say, we can make some really good changes that will serve us -- and our families and communities -- well.

[Carol L. Skolnick, Clear Life Solutions]

The Work of Byron Katie is the most effective way I know to address thoughts that, believed, lead to stress, suffering, and self-limitation. (That's why I became a facilitator of The Work; it changed my life!) As Robert has indicated here, once you meet your thoughts with understanding, there's no worry, and therefore much more "head room" for all the good stuff, including creative marketing solutions.

I've watched my portfolio go down along with everyone else's, and there are two ways to do that: one while holding a scary story of a non-existent future, one while realizing that you are okay right now and that there's plenty you can do. Not surprisingly, I've seen a surge of business recently; I attribute that to going forth as I always have, not believing that there wouldn't be clients or opportunities.

I invite you to empower yourself with this radically effective and easy-to-learn transformative process of inquiry.

[Judy Murdoch]

Robert,

What's funny is I haven't been feeling any fear about the economy. I'm just shy of 50 and I've been through an awful lot of booms and busts. They come and go.

So I haven't been filled with fear and anxiety over the latest developments. I was actually thinking "maybe I'm nuts to be so mellow?" Thanks for reminding me that I'm sane...at least when it comes to the economy.

Judy

[Deb McClanahan]

Hi Robert,
Great article to remind us (again) to get out of our own way! As a recruiter who had 4 searches frozen last month, I have been getting in my own way. This is a perfect time to do some new client development for non-recruiting HR/OD consulting and to get back in balance in my business. And the best part is, there is no risk to me in doing this.

[Sejual Shah]

I couldn't agree more with this post. We don't have to get dragged down by others' negativity - focussing on our own positive worth can help us move forward and set a good example. A tool that is great for lastingly releasing fears very quickly and easily is Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) or tapping.