In a World Gripped by Fear, I Believe in the Calm of My Own Wisdom

In a World Gripped By Fear, I Believe in the Calm of My Own Wisdom

In today’s uncertain economy, it’s scary out there. People are afraid of losing what

they’ve always counted on….their jobs, their homes, their savings! I believe there’s a silver lining hidden in the folds of all this anxiety. But it takes a lot of looking and listening to find it.

For me, it’s a matter of taking stock of who I am and what I truly have –a portfolio that goes well beyond my financial investments. What’s in that portfolio is a wonderful family, friends I love, skills and strengths that no one can take away, no matter how hard it gets. These are the rocks of a foundation it has taken a lifetime to build. I can choose to listen to the doom and gloom of economic forecasters, or I can look at what’s true for me. Glass half empty or half full?

It’s not in my DNA to see the glass half full. But knowing that helps me shift my perspective – even if it takes two-ton mental tow truck to do it. How? By listening to my internal conversations – the myriad thoughts and judgments that race through my mind like barnyard mice in the middle of the night. Some move so fast, it’s hard to even hear them. Others are like the defaults on my computer.

When the going gets tough, there’s one voice I know I can count on to tell me, “You will never make it. Things aren’t going to work out.” I know where that voice comes from. It’s my DNA station –so familiar, it’s like a best friend and worst enemy. When I’m not paying attention, it takes over and starts chipping away at my confidence, my heart and my soul.

But when I do focus on what I want to listen to, W-DNA gets lower and lower until it’s finally drowned out by a voice that’s clear, calm and soothing. This is the voice of my own wisdom and experience. When I tune into that station, I experience what once seemed like unbearable darkness in an entirely different light.

Someone once said that anxiety is like a thin stream of fear trickling though the wind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained. The same thing holds true for anti-anxiety. What’s the word for that? Could it possibly be happiness?

In a world gripped by fear, I believe in tuning into the calm voice of my own wisdom. What station are you listening to?