Chapter 9 Section 3 Solve the Mystery of Worry Thoroughly in Three Steps

The reason why people in the world are worried is mostly due to lack of understanding of the facts that cause worry, and then random guesses, and finally jump to conclusions. Once a decision is made, it must be decisively implemented, and avoid hesitation. Can all of your worries be solved using Carell's "Magic Equation" mentioned earlier?Of course this is impossible. Is there a better solution other than this formula?The answer is yes: as long as we master the following three basic steps to analyze the problem, we can completely solve those various problems that make us worry.The three steps are:

(1) Find out the facts that worry you. (2) Analyze the truth of the facts. (3) Make a decision and put it into action. Do you think it's too easy?Yes, this is the simple method that Aristotle taught others, and many people use time and again.If worry is nagging at you, making you feel like hell day and night, then this trick is sure to come in handy. Let's start with the first step—finding out the facts that worry you.Why is this step so important?Because if we can't even find out the facts, how can we solve the problem rationally and objectively?If we can't figure out the actual situation, where should we start?Get the Facts—The late Dean of Columbia University, Herbert Hicks, used this method primarily and helped 200,000 students relieve their worries.He told me:

"Unclear understanding and confusion are the main causes of anxiety. Most people worry because they lack understanding of the facts that cause anxiety, and then make wild guesses and jump to conclusions. If I have a question , must be resolved by 3:00 p.m. next Tuesday, so I'm definitely not going to make a decision this week. During this time I'll just focus on finding out all the facts about the issue, and I won't worry about it, let alone I would toss and turn with insomnia, and forget about everything except concentrating on finding out the facts. By next Tuesday, I have roughly figured out the ins and outs of this matter, and the problem has basically been solved.”

I asked Dean Hux if this meant he was completely free from the troubles of worry.He replied: "Yes, frankly speaking, my life has been completely out of worry. I believe that if a person can try his best to find out the truth of what happened with a rational and objective attitude, then his worries will Disappeared in the light of reason." Allow me to repeat: "If people focus on finding out the truth, their worries die away in the light of reason." When thinking about problems, the most taboo is to be too subjective and emotional. We must use a "rational and objective" attitude to find out the truth that causes worries, as advocated by Dean Hux.

It is not easy for people who are deeply worried to be "rational and objective", because they are often controlled by their emotions and cannot extricate themselves.However, the following two methods can help us adopt an objective and impartial attitude to discern the truth: (1) In the process of ascertaining the facts, we can maintain a calm and objective attitude by pretending that we are gathering information for others rather than ourselves. (2) If I have to investigate the root cause of the worry when I am worried, I will let myself stand in the position of the other party, and even be the defense lawyer of the other party, which also means that I have to be clear about the facts that are not good for me at the same time.Although I don't want to do this, in order to be "rational and objective", I must.

When all the facts, pros and cons, are presented, you often find that the truth lies hidden in them. What needs to be emphasized here is that neither you nor I, not even Einstein, nor even the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, can make a wise and correct decision before finding out the truth.When he was dying, Edison's as many as 2,500 notebooks were full of factual basis for his analysis and handling of problems. Therefore, the first solution to the problem is to find out the facts that cause concern.We must heed Hux's advice: Don't rush to come up with a solution to a problem before you have ascertained all the facts in an objective and rational manner.

But finding the facts without analyzing them can also mislead us, and it does no good. Based on my personal experience, I think it is easier to write down the facts for further analysis.In fact, just intuitively writing down the facts and problems we face on paper is very helpful for us to make reasonable decisions.As the inventor Charles Kettering said, "A problem is half-solved when it is clearly stated." Years of experience have taught me that decisive decisions go a long way toward solving problems.The only consequence of not being able to make a final decision all the time is to sink yourself into a situation where you are helpless, on pins and needles, and on the verge of collapse.In my opinion, 50% of a person's worries have disappeared once a decision has been clearly made; at this point, if the decision is implemented while the iron is hot, the remaining 40% of worries will also disappear.

To sum it up, I was able to eliminate 90% of my worries just by implementing the following 4 steps: (1) Write down exactly what it is that worries me. (2) List my possible approaches. (3) Selection and final decision. (4) Decisively act according to the decision. Later, Glenn Richfield served as the president of Star Park Freeman's Far East in charge of insurance business and became the most famous American businessman in Asia.Later, I listened to his sincere advice: this method of analyzing the reasons, facing up to and resolving worries is the magic weapon of his success. Why did his method really work?Because these steps are meticulous and thorough, they are extremely practical and point directly to the crux of the problem.Among them, step 4 - to act decisively in accordance with the decision is crucial and indispensable.In addition, the three links of finding out the facts that worry you, analyzing the truth of the facts, making a decision and taking action must be effectively combined and indispensable, otherwise finding out the facts and conducting analysis will be completely futile and cannot be implemented. Meaningless.

Psychologist William James said it well: "Once a decision is made, it must be decisively implemented, and never hesitate." What he wants to tell us is that as long as a prudent and careful decision has been made based on facts and in-depth analysis, It should be translated into action immediately, without hesitation, hesitation, and self-doubt. When I talked to White Phillips, the most successful oil businessman in Oklahoma, about implementing decisions, he said, "Don't think too much, or it will cause doubt and confusion. Sometimes, too much dwelling on It is not beneficial to check and think, we must act decisively and resolutely implement the established decisions, and we must not be indecisive and miss good opportunities.”

For the worries that are troubling you, why don't you try Glenn Ritchfield's method to relieve them? (1) What exactly is my concern; (2) What are the countermeasures I can take to deal with this; (3) Select and make a final decision; (4) Determine the implementation time, and act decisively according to the decision.