'I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened," noted the American writer Mark Twain. What worries are on your mind right now? These days, many people worry about many things, which is unsurprising given that we're living in a fragile world that, in the aftermath of a global pandemic, has been battered by other external shocks.
Sadly, a troubled mind full of worries, anxieties and fears is too distressed to engage in more advanced creative thinking that might be helpful to overcome some of these very same concerns.
Today, let's consider how to best take stock and deal with those doubts, worries and fears.
What are the global worries that concern many people? Recent studies by McKinsey and Ipsos identified inflation as the No.1 issue worrying people globally. They also list other concerns that are often related to this primary worry or help drive it.
Rising inflation puts pressure on central banks to raise interest rates, effectively ending more than a decade of cheap money and increasing financial pressures for indebted households, businesses and public institutions.
Geopolitical instability and conflicts are other major concerns. In particular, fallout from the war in Ukraine may drive many global economies into a recession, not to mention the senseless loss of life and the mounting dangers of escalation and even nuclear war.
The war in Ukraine has also led to high volatility in the global energy markets, with prices for gas and oil skyrocketing and the stability of energy supplies in question.
CHANGING MINDSETS
Given the massive levels of uncertainty in the world, one might ask: What's not to worry about? And why do I care about this topic now?
Recently I started guiding a fresh cohort of learners through a new creative leadership course based on Genius Journey, the creative leadership development method I created for Thinkergy.
Participants in this metaphorical journey visit 10 destinations. At each one they learn about one disempowering mindset that limits their creative potential and one corresponding empowering mindset that unboxes their thinking.
At Stop 1, they learn that we must stop our doubts, worries and fears and become courageous, action-oriented and persistent believers. To achieve a true mindset shift here, it is critical that we first investigate our empowering and limiting beliefs (otherwise called doubts), while gaining the upper hand over our worries and fears.
Fear Capture, Fear Buster is one of eight genius exercises to help shift your mindset from negative to positive at the foundational first destination. Gaining some control and mastery over your doubts, worries and fears shows you a pathway out of the prison of your limiting mind and sets you free to unleash your full creative potential.
WRITE IT DOWN
How exactly does this exercise work? First, write down all your present doubts, worries and fears. What are you afraid of? What weighs heavily on your mind? For example, you might worry about inflation or rising interest rates, or you might be afraid of losing your job in a recession.
Next, understand the source of each listed doubt, worry or fear. Ask yourself: Why do I give energy to this thought? Why am I afraid of this? What's the source of this doubt, worry or fear?
Then, deal with each of the listed doubts, worries and fears in one of the following ways:
Look at it rationally: What are the odds of this really happening? What is the worst possible thing that would happen to you? And what would this mean? Then, choose to accept this worst-case scenario should it occur.
Then begin creating action steps to prevent it from happening. For example, the likelihood of losing your job in a recession is lower than 10% in most organisations. If it happened to you, you would likely receive a redundancy package. To proactively prevent the worst outcome, you can take on an important project or work extra hours to show your commitment.
Confront it: "Always do what you fear," as Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested. For example, if you're afraid of speaking in public and giving presentations, join an organisation like Toastmasters International that allows you to gradually develop your public speaking capabilities in a safe environment.
Accept it as a natural part of life: No matter how hard we try, some aspects of life are beyond our control. While we can anticipate possible consequences and plan our countermoves, we have to deal with some situations as and when they occur. If you like, write those fears beyond your control on a separate piece of paper. Then, burn it and let go of these worries outside your sphere of influence.
Believe: Silence your worries by having faith that, in the end, all will work out well.
Whenever you notice you entertain the same limiting thought or worry, again and again, go back to your list and reread your counterstrategy. Then, apply it and move on with your life, in line with the advice of the motivational author Roy T. Bennett: "Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create."
Dr Detlef Reis is the founding director and chief ideator of Thinkergy Limited (www.Thinkergy.com), the Innovation Company in Asia. He is also an adjunct associate professor at the Hong Kong Baptist University, and an innovation adviser at the Institute for Knowledge & Innovation - South-East Asia, Bangkok University. He can be reached at dr.d@thinkergy.com
