When I was a child, I had the normal fears that most of us had. I was afraid of the dark and just knew there were monsters under my bed.  I wouldn't dare leave a leg uncovered or hanging over the side of the bed.  No sir.  And Mr. Stanley's dog? If he could have made it through the chain link fence, I'm confident he would have eaten me alive.

Today, I'm a grown man, and I still have fears that cause similar anxieties.  I imagine you do, too.  My fears often dictate my behavior. One particular fear I struggle with is, "If I don't..., it won't...".  Along similar lines there is the "If I don't....they won't....".

There is a cause and effect that drives my fear. There is an underlying assumption in my thinking that says if I don't do it or if I don't show up, it won't get done. My success rests on me. My success is all about my ability to be in as many meetings as I can because they are depending on me to be there.  I must meet with as many people as I can and need to get out and market or meet new opportunities.  I must work long hours because I don't want people at the office to get the wrong idea if I leave early or come in later.

Here are a few things to consider:

1. You are not in control. In fact, most of the things that lead to your business failure or success have always been and will continue to be out of your control (i.e., the market, economy, people's choices, etc.).

2. Play to your strengths and delegate everything else...especially your weaknesses.

3. The fewer things you do, the more you accomplish. Do only what you do well.  As Mother Teresa said, "You can do what I cannot do, I can do what you cannot do, and together we can do great things."

4. Healthy, productive people gravitate to companies who have a sustainable pace. Healthy, productive people leave companies who consistently "burn it up" and become unhealthy and unproductive while doing so.

5. If you're going to cheat, cheat your business and not your family. (Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley- Multnomah Press).

6. There is not enough time to get it all done. Nuff said.

For those so inclined, read Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. Solomon, the wisest and richest man to have ever lived, had an interesting perspective on life and what I mentioned above.

rb