What about worry?

I’m a worrier.

I can’t help it. It seems that my natural reaction to having a bit of free time is to start worrying. I worry about my life, my future, other people and I even worry about the fact that I worry so much! I certainly don’t think I’m alone in this preoccupation of all things negative and what’s more I can prove it. Ask yourself the following question.

When you turn the light off at night and you’re lying in your bed, what do you think about?

Is it money? Is it the bills to pay at the end of the month? How do others perceive me? How’s the job going? What’s the update on that family member whose been struggling?

It’s funny how we hide our worry behind a smile. In the environments that often are the cause of our anxiety we let on that nothing is wrong and act as though we haven’t a care in the world. It’s only when there is nothing else to preoccupy our minds and no one else is around that worry truly takes over.

Worry negatively affects our state of mind, our health, our relationships and our performance. Overcoming it does not come around simply by the way we think; it takes discipline and structure. Here is what Dale Carnegie said on this issue.

"If you want to avoid worry… Live in "day-tight compartments." Don't stew about the future. Just live each day until bedtime."

If worry is something that you struggle with then I strongly urge you to do something about it. Don’t accept it as an inevitable burden you must carry for your life. Don’t let it plague your present, ruin your happiness and cloud your future. As an organisation, Dale Carnegie support individuals in overcoming worry and managing stress. It would be great to discuss with you how we can support you to.

Visit our website or call us on 0207 379 4323.

Brett Mills

Successful Entrepreneurs

I have recently been reading about entrepreneurs and how they started up as I find people really interesting, especially those who have achieved personal success, in whatever way they view it. It’s all to do with having an ‘ology’ you see!

I love to read their stories and how getting there wasn’t all plain sailing, glamorous or indeed easy. Having ups and downs is very much part of business and it’s reassuring to read that it happens to the best of them.

It was interesting to read why they decided to start up their own business. Toni Mascolo, co-founder of Tony & Guy Hairdressers loved building things...whether it was collections of coins or a family business. After fighting to keep the Toni & Guy name he built up the international business we now know.

Jenny Irvine of The Pure Package was brought up on a farm and has always been self sufficient. Her love of quality healthy food and wanting to make a difference to people prompted her to start up her gourmet diet food delivery service. She strived for success, but to her success was being happy and having time to be with her loved ones, thus eventually creating a business that didn’t rely on her day to day.

Whatever the entrepreneur’s reason for creating their business or businesses, there appeared to be a common denominator. The majority of the people I read about, including Richard Branson, set goals. They set short term achievable goals, mid term goals and some of them long term goals. Apparently Richard Branson always carries a notebook with him with his goals written down – whether you like him or not you can’t fault his success.

For one person to say they wrote down their goals and read them every day is one thing, but for 90% of the successful entrepreneurs to do this must mean it actually works.

A common feeling was that if they are not written down then they are harder to achieve as there is no focus, consciously or subconsciously. One entrepreneur looked at his long term goals every day, morning and night and achieved them all within one month of his deadline. And they were not small goals either, unless you consider buying a house, car and having a significant amount of cash in the bank a small goal.

At Dale Carnegie we believe in setting goals and visions both personally and in business. Whether your goal is financial, a change in lifestyle, a holiday of a lifetime or even getting that new promotion you so desire they are well worth setting. You can set them for three months time or a years time, whatever works for you, as long as they are meaningful and achievable with belief and in the cases of the entrepreneurs, good old fashioned hard work.

So go on, write down a few goals and start the journey towards them......you will feel over the moon when you achieve them.

Helen