Building Resilience by Shifting from Fear to Action

Transform your anxiety into a powerhouse for success with a simple yet life-changing question: "What's the plan?" This episode of the Winning Edge Coach Podcast, hosted by Kevin Oakley, reveals how this pivotal question can shift your mindset from debilitating worry to empowering action. Kevin takes you through the process of engaging your logical brain to craft concrete plans, allowing you to regain control over uncertain situations. From job interviews to life’s daily hurdles, discover how asking the right questions can foster confidence and reduce procrastination.

Join me, Kevin Oakley, as I guide you through real-world scenarios and actionable steps that illustrate the profound impact of transitioning from passive worry to active preparation. Learn how this mindful approach to problem-solving not only reduces stress but builds emotional resilience, helping you to face future challenges head-on. By consistently applying this technique, you’ll enhance your ability to make rational decisions and achieve the life you were meant to live. Tune in to explore how mastering this mindset shift can be your ultimate secret weapon for success.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to another episode of the Winning Edge Coach podcast, the podcast where I aim to give you the tools, tactics and techniques to achieve success in every aspect of your life. I'm your host, kevin Oakley, and today we're diving into a powerful technique that can transform the way you handle anxiety and worry. The way you handle anxiety and worry. Discover one simple question that can transform your anxiety into a secret weapon to success. Welcome to the Winning Edge Coach Podcast. I am Kevin Oakley. As well as being your host, I'm also a peak performance mindset and life coach. In each episode, I want to share with you the tools, tactics and techniques to create a winning edge mindset to help you to live the life you were meant to live. In today's episode, we're going to explore the benefits of asking yourself one very simple question. For those of you who've listened to the podcast before, you'll probably have heard me say that quality of the questions you ask yourself determine the quality of your life. Well, that's the case with this particular question. Let me ask you something. Have you ever found yourself spiraling into anxiety about an upcoming event or a nagging worry about money or a life situation? Maybe you wake up in the middle of the night worrying about something, an interview that's coming up, a presentation. We've all been there. But what if I told you that asking yourself one question could be a game changer? Let's look at that one question. That one question is the minute you feel that anxiety or that worry is to ask yourself okay, what is the plan? Let's dig deeper into what the impact of asking yourself that one simple question okay, what's the plan? Means. So when you ask what is the plan, you're immediately redirecting your thoughts from a passive, worrying to an active, problem solving. It's flipping the switch in your brain. It's taking you from that primeval, older part of your brain that was designed to protect you into the new cognitive, neocortex, thinking logical part of the brain. Instead of dwelling on what might go wrong, you start thinking about concrete steps that you can take. The question pick starts your brain's problem-solving mode. It encourages you to break down the issue into manageable parts and consider potential solutions. This approach is particularly effective for that generalized anxiety and can significantly reduce your overall stress levels.

Speaker 1: 2:59

So anxiety often stems from two things. One is that feeling of being powerless. Two, about worrying about something in the future that's yet to happen, something that is not here and now it's something you're imagining of agency or control over the situation. This increased perception of control can dramatically reduce those feelings of anxiety and boost your confidence in handling challenges. Let's look at a real-world scenario.

Speaker 1: 3:38

Let's say you're worried about an up-and-coming job interview. Instead of letting your mind run wild with what-ifs and ask yourself instead instead, okay, what's the plan? This might lead your cognitive thinking brain into coming up with some of the following solutions. One your first step might be to research the company thoroughly so you know all about them. Practice some of the common interview questions so they flow. Another step might be get your outfit, decide what you're going to wear, prepare it the night before. Again, it could be rehearsing the route and deciding on your route to the interview and rehearsing it even a couple of times so you know where you're going.

Speaker 1: 4:19

You've taken yourself from that worry to having a plan of what you're going to do, when you're going to do it and how you're going to do it. Suddenly, you're not worrying, you're preparing, and preparation breeds confidence. Regularly using this technique can help you build emotional resilience over time and has become more accustomed to facing anxieties. With a problem-solving mindset, you'll likely find it easier to cope with future stresses. The actual planning process initiated by asking the question can lead you to better decision-making. Instead of making choices based on fear or anxiety, you're more likely to make rational decisions grounded on what a well thought out plan. So, instead of avoiding the things you're anxious about by making the plan, you'll actually engage and follow up and go through and face your fears and go ahead and do it, which builds confidence.

Speaker 1: 5:23

The other benefit of using that question of okay, what's the plan is it reduces procrastination. When you're anxious about something, you'll put it off. You'll procrastinate. You'll do everything. If you've got a report to write that you're worried about, you'll tidy your desk first. You'll arrange your pens, you'll do everything apart from and engage with the task.

Speaker 1: 5:47

By asking about what your plan is and what the first step's going to be can actually help you to combat procrastination and make a start. It moves you from that state of worry to a state of action, making it easier to start tackling the issues at hand, the hard issues that you've been struggling to confront. So incorporating the question what is the plan? Into your self-talk when facing anxiety can be a simple yet effective strategy for managing stress and promoting a more proactive, solution-focused mindset. It aligns well with established cognitive behavioral techniques and can be a valuable tool in anxiety management. Remember, the goal isn't to eliminate anxiety completely. Some level of anxiety is normal and helpful. It motivates us, it keeps us going. The goal is to manage it effectively so it doesn't control your life. So the next time you feel anxiety creeping in, take a deep breath, ask yourself the winning edge question okay, what's the plan? And pause and see what your brain comes up with. You might be surprised how quickly your mind shifts from worry to action.

Speaker 1: 7:13

That's all for today's episode of the Winning Edge Coach Podcast. That was the Winning Edge Coach Podcast. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode of the Winning Edge Coach podcast and you'd like to help support the podcast, please hit the subscribe button and, if possible, leave a rating or a review. Also, please feel free to share the podcast with others and post about it on your favourite social media platform. To catch all the latest from me, you can follow me on Twitter at winningedgepod. Thanks again. I'll see you next time.