Life is not simple. In fact, if you are challenged with anxiety, whether it is caused by a fear of speaking, getting on a stage, going to a social event or simply feeling overall safe in the world, overcoming your fears can feel overwhelming.

Most will avoid the situation that triggers the fear – “If I don’t go to the event or speak in front of others, then I won’t get anxious.”

You know what? That strategy works. Every time. Yet, there is usually a price to be paid for avoiding situations that are important to our career, business or life in general.

I’d like to suggest that you adopt a new formula whenever you find yourself frozen with fear and having a decision to make.

E + R = O

This is a formula I learned from Jack Canfield (author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series) during a training with him years ago.

At first it may seem too simple yet, as I will share, it can be a powerful formula to apply in any situation that creates stress.

E is the Event (or Experience) – For example, you are asked to make a presentation at work. It is simply an event. It has no emotions connected to it either in a negative or positive way.

R is your Response to the Event – It is here that we get ourselves in trouble. It is also the key part of the formula. How we respond to the event will always lead to the outcome.

O is the Outcome – Remember that the outcome, in terms of experiencing fear and anxiety, is always a result of how we respond to the event or experience itself. No event can ’cause’ anxiety – only what we tell our self will matter.

The principle described in this formula is that no matter what happens to or around you, the one thing that is ALWAYS available to you is your ability to CHOOSE your response to what is happening.

It is always the response that you choose that leads to the final outcome you experience.

Using the example of giving a presentation at work, if your response is, “I’m going to get so anxious that they will see that I’m nervous…I might blank out…I will look stupid.” This response will actually create more anxiety!

A different response to the event, such as “I might get nervous, but I am going to practice my focused breathing skill this week and remind myself that I intend to stay as focused as possible as I work on managing my anxiety and becoming a better speaker,” will lead to a very different outcome.

You cannot always control the events in your life. However, the response to those events are always under your control. It is not always easy, but it is always under your control to choose how you will begin to respond.

While change and learning new responses can feel scary at first and leave us feeling that we are not enough, taking charge of your responses in events associated with anxiety will begin to lead to very different outcomes than if one believes things are happening TO them.

Albert Schweitzer once said, “Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment (the event) and learn again to exercise his will – his personal responsibility (his response)”

Whether in your business, in your creative process or in a performance, the decision to take responsibility of your responses and turn potential powerlessness and fear into action will always lead to a more positive outcome.

This week I encourage you to look for opportunities to apply this formula of E+R=O. Commit to intentionally responding differently.

You CAN change the outcome.

(Ready to change the way that you manage your fears? Click here to learn more about the Fearless for Life Academy and how you can join for FREE)

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