I am known to be a bit of a worrier – i admit it! Its not one of my best traits but it is something i am aware of and consistently try to combat it.

Worrying, I believe is simply fear of what may or may not happen and it is a proven fact that 90% of the things we fear don’t actually happen! So why do we bother?

Well there are so many unknowns to us humans and we cant begin to fathom the uncertainties before us. These uncertainties make us uncomfortable so we begin to fear what may or may not happen.

For instance, when i am in the ocean having a swim by myself i often fear that i will be eaten alive by a shark. I have a pretty vivid imagination and its not long before i start visualizing two rows of razor sharp teeth in my face as i pop up from under a wave. Its not long before i start making my way back to dry land.

The funny thing is you are about 15000 times more likely to be in a car accident than becoming a shark’s dinner. Yet every day we jump in the car without a thought as to what may happen on the road.

So how do we move through this unjustified fear. Well in my experience i use this method:

Whenever i am fearful of taking the next step or moving into an uncomforatble experience, i take a deep breath and say “put the thoughts in my head and the words in my mouth” This immediately takes away the fear and helps me to relax into the situation.

I am trusting the universe and just allowing things to happen as they should. I cant change them so why force nature? Everything is perfect as it is and there is a positive reason for everything that happens.

So next time you are putting off the inevitable, just trust that everything will be as it should be.

Try it next time you are in bed about to fall asleep; take a deep breath and ask for the answer to a question you are searching for and then trust that you will come up with it.

Just trust

My late Grandma used to say, show me your friends and the people you hang around with and i will show you who you are. At the time it didn’t make a lot of sense to me as a 14 year old lad but these days that saying is clear as a bell.

The people you associate with is a massive factor in all that you do. Thats why its so important to be with like minded people that inspire, challenge and motivate you.

If you are not striving to succeed at a higher level than you are now then that is where you will stay… and that’s ok if that is where you want to be. For most people though, deep down, we all want to be better at what we do, we want to advance  and grow otherwise life can get stagnant and boring.

Someone that i have always looked up to is my late Grandfather, affectionately known in our family as Pupaye.  Pupaye died many years ago when i was in my teens but i still remember the things he said to me and the older i get the more meaning those things have to me.

Pupaye was a wise, experienced, selfless family man with an unwavering self belief. He was an engineer, a toolmaker and would always be building things with his hands or creating better systems to simplify a task. His hands were strong yet delicate, he had wrinkles near his eyes from smiling and would whistle while he worked, with a permanent grin on his face.

If i ever struggle with something i know i can always think of him and ask for a bit of guidance and sure enough the thoughts come into my head and the words put in my mouth. Its very comforting to know he is there.

We all look up to someone in life; whether its a big brother, our parents, a sportsperson, an ex-president… anyone!

Who inspires you?

Here is an old picture of my Pupaye in his engineering days. You can see the permanent grin on his face even then!