Know.

“Clarity is the antidote to anxiety.” This quote really resonates with me. Do you have clarity in your life and how might this reduce anxiety and fear?

It’s the future again. Sure. I know. It’s just a number. Yet every new year feels a little insecure: both fresh yet uncertain. We wonder, what will this year bring? What joys? What sorrows? What else could Rob Ford possibly and inexplicably do? More important that all that nonsense and noise in the world, what are you hoping for? And what fears are holding you back?

I’m not talking about turkeys. No matter how times I give myself a pep-talk, I’ll probably always be afraid of turkeys. I’m referring to the other fears: the fears we ALL have, the real struggles in life. According to several anthropologists and scientists, these may have several names but they can be categorized into five basic human fears:

1.      Death/Pain (our own and others)

2.      Outsiders

3.      Insignificance/Loneliness/Rejection

4.      Chaos/Failure/Turmoil

5.      the Unknown

Think about those for a moment. What’s the common denominator? I think they all speak to the unknown. So how can we cope, or better yet, THRIVE despite the unknown? Maybe the answer is in the word itself. Unknown may be a few letters too long.

Know.

Hans Hoffman said, “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary can speak.” What’s truly necessary in your life? And what “noise” is interfering such that you don’t even know?

Know. Choose to know. Know what you believe. Know what you value. Know why. Know what you want. Know what you need. Name these things. Make a list. Keep it short. And then do something with this information. Live it. And use it for leverage when life gets scary. Live with purpose, on purpose.