Lack of Faith is One of the Main Causes of Stress

Why is it that you get stressed?

Is it because you have a new prospect to call and you’re concerned about embarrassing yourself? Is is because money is tight and you are not sure you can pay your bills this month? Is it because you are nervous about hosting that upcoming home party and having people be unhappy because you didn’t plan it well?

Let’s analyze this a little bit.

Situations are External to You

First, you need to realize that each of these is just a situation.  A situation does not have a personality.  It is not “out to get you.”

A situation is just an external collection of circumstances that surround you.  You have the opportunity to react to, or influence, those circumstance. You can’t control them, but you can influence them.

It’s a subtle difference, but an important one.

And this is where the stress begins.

Stress is Internal to You

You can’t control a situation, but you will have a certain amount of influence over how the situation changes, if at all.  If each of us had total control over any given situation, then we wouldn’t feel any stress. In other words, there would be nothing to be stressed about if you could always get the outcome you wanted when you wanted it.

For example, if you are feeling stressed because you have a new prospect to call, then your stress comes from the amount of influence you feel you have over the outcome of that call.

If you make calls regularly, you might feel very little pressure since you know exactly how to position yourself on the phone, what questions you are likely to be asked, and so on. You have a good ability to influence the outcome of the situation and have a successful phone converstation.

On the other hand, if you’ve never called prospects before, then you might feel more pressure because of the learning curve and “on the job” training that will go along with it.  In other words, you will have less ability to influence the situation, and therefore feel more stress.

But what is really at the core of this stressful feeling?

Simply a lack of faith in your ability to influence the situation and get the outcome you desire.

Faith in Yourself

Your stress comes from a lack of faith in your ability to handle a call with a new prospect. The more experience you have, the more faith you have in your abilities to get your desired outcome. The greater your faith in your abilities, the less stress you will experience.

As another example, if you are unsure how you will pay your bills this month, then your stress comes from a lack of faith in your ability to influence and control your financial situation. If you know with a high degree of certainty that you can make the necessary income, then your stress level will be low. If you have little certainty (no faith) in your ability to generate the needed income, then you will feel much more stress.

This explains why in any given situation one person can be totally at ease while another person is consumed by fear and anxiety.

So the question then becomes, how can you get more faith in youself?

How to Increase Faith in Yourself

Here are some idea for increasing the amount of faith that you have in yourself.

1. Focus on solutions. Instead of thinking about all the bad things that can happen, consider as many ways as possible to create an outcome that you want.  Don’t say to yourself, “I just don’t know how I am going to pay all my bills this month.” Instead, ask yourself, “How can I ensure that I will be able to pay all my bills?” This will get you focused on ways to make more money, or ways to save on your current bills, or even ways to eliminate some expenses altogether.
2. Get educated about whatever is stressing you. If you are uncomfortable with calling prospects, learn as much as you can about how to talk with prospects. If you are stressed about hosting a home presentation party, then ask someone who has done them before for help and advice.
3. Stack advantages in your favor. In many situations, the planning you do beforehand will have a lot to do with how much stress you feel. For example, if you are hosting a home party, gather as much information as you can and have everything ready to go as early as possible. This will give you more faith that you have the situation under control.
4. Change your definition of success. You might think that a successful prospecting call is one in which you don’t embarrass yourself, or a call where you sign up a new member. But what if your definition of success was to simply dial the phone and talk to someone, regardless of the outcome of the call? Certainly you should have faith that you can punch numbers on the phone and say hello. Once you are comfortable with that, then your definition of success might be to simply learn why the person is or is not interested in network marketing. As you progress, your definition of success will change with your capabilities.

So, stress is an internal feeling brought about by a lack of faith in your own ability to influence external situations or circumstances. I hope you’ve found these tips for gaining more faith to be useful.

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Talk Back! Please, leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Do you believe that lack of faith is a main cause of stress? If you’ve tried these tips, were they useful to you? Let me know!

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