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Worry Less. Achieve More. Here’s How


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8 Simple Steps to Stop Worrying and Start Doing


We all worry. 

 

It came up as a theme in last week’s Group Coaching – leaders wanting to worry less about: 

  • A new big job 

  • A stalling business 

  • Not getting stuff done 

  • Insufficient finances 

  • A public speaking gig….


Sound familiar?  

 

Interestingly none of them wanted to STOP worrying ...just less, assuming there’s a place for worrying, a point to it – to keep us on track, remind us to do stuff, keep us safe, right? 

 

Wrong. 

 

Worrying does us no good, only harm.  

 

So you should just stop then? And do nothing? Hope it all works out? 

 

Not exactly. But there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. 

 

I’ll explain using the three things we worry about: 

 

  1. Your Business – What you have (some) control over. Well, influence, I’m not a fan of the word control, it makes you scrunchy-faced and tends to stress you out. 

 

  1. Other People’s Business – What we have limited influence over because it’s really up to other humans how they show up, and what they do.  

 

  1. God’s Business – What we have absolutely no control over – but still worry about! 

 

I’ll deal with them in reverse order: 


  1. God’s Business e.g. whether it will rain on your wedding day or whether there’ll be a recession next year, there’s nothing you can do personally to influence the result and no point in worrying. Noted as a risk, however, you could give some time and attention to it, to come up with contingency plans should an unwanted outcome arise, e.g. buy a gazebo, saving more funds, or diversifying your business.  

 

  1. Other People’s Business e.g. whether your new boss will like you, whether your team member will get the report done on time. Limited influence here, but not none. Worrying will not help them. And it won’t help us help them. It takes up headspace, reduces our capacity to problem solve and makes us less effective communicators. From this place, trying to help can come across as unhelpful meddling and scaremongering. If you dropped the worry and spent time with the other person, giving some attention to what they want and need, with a clear head, you might provide helpful support e.g. aligning your objectives to your boss’s KPIs, providing coaching on your team member’s blind spots.   

 

  1. Your Business e.g. whether you’re prepared for your new role, whether your business is growing sustainably. Now you don’t have total control, but plenty of influence should you quit worrying and take some inspired action. As above, a worried mind struggles to think clearly, makes poor decisions, and often leads to inaction. But doing nothing and hoping for the best is not a great strategy either. Great careers and thriving businesses need time and attention.  When you drop the worry, approach with a clear mind, and take a fresh look at the challenge, you’ll get an insight as to the next best thing to do e.g. book a coffee chat with new colleagues, get a good night’s sleep, re-connect with former clients, attend a networking event…and none of these go better from a place of worry. 

 

So just drop worry, OK, but how? 

 

  1. Notice when you’re feeling an uncomfortable, undesirable emotion in your body e.g. anxiety stress, dread…etc. 

  2. Realise it’s there because you’re worrying about something that could  happen… 

  3. Ask yourself what type of business is it? (1,2,3) 

  4. Drop it, drop the thought, you don’t need to think that, it’s not helping. 

  5. Ask yourself, with a clear mind, what makes sense to do, to either mitigate God’s business, support someone else’s, or take action on your own. 

  6. If it’s an action that takes more than 15 minutes, break it down into an activity that does. 

  7. Do it.  

  8. Repeat. 

 

Will you continue to worry? 


Yes, you’re human, and we have no control over the first thought that pops into our head, but we can decide what gets a second thought. The more often we realise we’re worrying, and the sooner we drop it, and take inspired action instead, the better our life will be, the healthier our relationships, more successful our careers and businesses. 

 

But don’t take my word for it  – try it – see what happens. Let me know what thrives as a result. 

 

Let’s partner on this: 


This is what I help people with for a living, so if you’d like a success partner to help you feel and do better in the world, creating more positive impact, get in touch, we should talk.  

Or come along to next week’s Group Coaching Experience with something you’d like to take action on. .

 

Mehalah Beckett is a coach, consultant and trusted advisor passionate about people, the planet and empowering others to inspire positive change. She coaches purpose-driven leaders to impossible goals, hosts MasterMinds for hungry entrepreneurs and guides businesses through B-Corp. What can I help you achieve over the next year?  

 
 
 

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