#363 Fear & Expectations

How to Move from Fear to Excitement

Quick pop quiz: Are you afraid of something these days?

Pause for a moment and identify one thing that’s kinda (or really) stressing you out. Might be work, relationships, finances. Whatever.

Got it?

All right. Now, I can *guarantee* you that any fear you may have is tied to a NEGATIVE EXPECTATION. You think something’s going to go wrong. Perhaps *really* wrong.

– Expectation +
<—————————––————–––———>
Fear Excitement

Obviously, fear isn’t all bad. (In fact, it can be super helpful for a number of reasons.)

Here’s the good news. There’s a remarkably simple (though not always easy) way to Optimize it. We’ve gotta shift from that negative expectation to a more positive one. As we do that, we shift from fear to excitement. Sounds simple.

And, well, it is. (The trick, of course, is actually doing this when the fear gremlins invade our minds!!)

Let’s identify the negative expectation that’s producing your fear and see if we can create a more positive expectation and, if you’re feeling spicy, let’s imagine something so positive that you actually get excited.

My negative expectation: _________________________________________

A more positive expectation: _________________________________________

A super positive expectation: _________________________________________

There ya go. Fear and expectations.

To recap: If you’re feeling fear, check in on what you’re expecting to happen. It’s negative. To shift from fear to faith to excitement, shift your expectations from really bad to OK to great. Powerful stuff.

And, remember the ultimate source of confidence: You KNOW that whatever happens, you’ve got what it takes to respond to it, antifragile style.

P.S. An even faster way to deal with / alchemize your fear? Just say, “I’m excited.” 🙂

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