Faith NOT Panic

Would you agree if is said something as cliche as "life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what your gonna get? "  Or better yet, would you agree that life has a funny way of being unpredictable or sometimes unstable? 

Now, you’re probably sick of this subject and everyone that tells you to have it but you know what, if we don’t talk about it, if we don’t think about it, we’re not going to learn anything from it. And if we don’t learn, we don’t grow.

So, that being said, the lesson I want to talk to you about today goes deeper and resonates more in our personal lives.  Its something someone told me years ago that somehow bounces around in my brain until it makes a connection, usually as a result of some newfound stress I or someone else has decided to add to my life and then BAM - there it is!  

Wait for it.....

Wait for it.........

Okay, here it is.................................Faith, is the ability to not panic!

I honestly could not tell you who said this to me, but that doesn’t make it any less relevant or effective.

Of course, any time the word “faith” is brought up, most of us automatically think about our respective religious beliefs. And, in that context, the words “faith” and “panic” never really find their way into the same sentence. In the Bible, “faith” defined in Hebrews 11:1 is the ”substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” There’s no hint of panic in that definition, is there?

The faith I want to talk about today is a little more defensive, a trait we can develop to keep us from going crazy when things get tough.

Here's a question worth pondering: 

You ever notice how much you find out about a person's character in rough times?

When the money’s rolling in and the clients are climbing over each other for product, there are those who seize each and every opportunity to brag about their sales prowess or how huge their next commission check’s going to be.  When things get tough though, some of those same people tend to shrivel up and die just like the market.  They become unsure of themselves, they lose focus, they blame others or don't offer solutions...all because they panic.

Panic is not necessarily hysteria. In fact, more often than not, panic causes silence. Instead of barreling around the office, going crazy, most people tend to clam up when they panic. They shut down. They might become frazzled, but however they manifest it, they are ineffective.

Let’s face it, we’re all scared of something. And for many of us, our fear focuses on our finances. Say that five times fast, right? We want to make sure we’ll be able to provide for our families, to pay for our cars or homes, to keep the lights on and food on the table.

What happens to us when a dark period comes along?

Those fears we can usually push to the back of our brain in good times come rushing to the front and center. They take over and, for many of us, cause a paralysis of panic. And just like a dog can sense when you’re afraid, your fears can sense when you lack faith.

 
The mind is a powerful tool, but an even more powerful weapon. In good times, we tend to coast a little, don’t we? Faith in yourself and in your chosen field is pretty easy when there’s no evidence of cracks in the foundation. But when times go bad and business goes south, that easy faith dissipates quickly into the fog of fear. Our minds tend to be much more adept at conjuring up worst case scenarios than imagining how great things will be again. It’s a part of our nature that is difficult to overcome.

So, what do we do?

I could give you a thousand words here about positive thinking and everything else you would expect but sometimes the most powerful way to say something is also the easiest: 

Just Believe.


Every day I resolve to seek Progress, not Perfection and progress starts with my ability to believe.  Do you?