Rich Fettke

Your Built-In Fear Handling Fuel

Posted on 04. Dec, 2009 by Rich Fettke.

"The professional athlete’s love of an adrenaline spike should almost never be linked to compulsive behavior. Quite the opposite is true. It’s more appropriate to say that taking a risk and succeeding because of their wits and skill feels orgasmic." -Maryann Karinch, Lessons from the Edge

When you are afraid, your body responds with its own form of rocket fuel: adrenaline.

Adrenaline is one of the natural drugs your body releases when you push limits or you are confronted with a challenge. Adrenaline flows through your body, giving you extra awareness, mental clarity and the ability to respond quickly to different situations. Colors are sharper, sounds are clearer. You are more conscious of odors and your body feels energized.

Whether you are jumping out of a plane or setting up a sales presentation with your hottest prospect, if the activity scares you, adrenaline will provide you with the strength you need to succeed. By recognizing how you feel when adrenaline is coursing though your veins, you will become much more skilled at using this ally to your advantage because you are employing it to accomplish a goal.

At the same time you should be aware that adrenaline also kicks in when you are under all kinds of stress, everything from getting caught in traffic to dealing with difficult people. In these types of everyday situations, adrenaline can burn you out because your body doesn’t get a chance to rest and recuperate.

I used to get tense from adrenaline in all kinds of circumstances and now, because I’ve gotten used to the feeling through extreme sports, I can say, "Ah, I know this feeling. It’s adrenaline. I need to be aware of why I’m feeling it. Am I facing a real risk or do I just need to reduce the number of stressful events that I tolerate in my life? Maybe I need to leave a little earlier to avoid traffic or perhaps I should discuss what’s bothering me with a friend."

By learning what adrenaline feels like, you can use it instead of it using you.

ACTION IDEA:

UNDERSTAND HOW FEAR WORKS

Answer the following questions to get a better understanding of how you handle fear.

1. What is the scariest thing you’ve ever done?
2. Why did you do it?
3. What was your fear telling you?
4. What were you focusing on?
5. What could you have focused on to reduce your fear?
6. What did you learn about yourself and your fears?

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Focus on Three

Posted on 01. Dec, 2009 by Rich Fettke.

 "You are free to choose, but the choices you make today will determine what you will have, be, and do in the tomorrow of your life."
— Zig  Ziglar

When I first meet with a client to begin our coaching, I always ask them for the three main areas they would like to focus on during the first three months of our partnership. You can do the same thing with your most important goals. For each focus area write a simple heading, and underneath, a description of how to achieve it. Here is a sample of how this might look:

1. Be Financially Responsible
Have a system to track my spending and my income.  Reconcile my bank accounts each month. Create and follow a spending plan.



2. Improve My Fitness
Design and follow a workout program that will help me lower my body fat and improve my stamina. Eat nutritious, healthy meals on a regular schedule.

3. Have a More Romantic Relationship with My Husband
Plan a "date night" each week. Surprise him with loving things to let him know how much I care. Acknowledge him for all that he does and all that he is.



This simple, yet important, exercise can help you take action and stay focused on what is most important to you. Keep your list to no more than three major outcomes or goals. Trying to remember more than three can put the mind into overload. This is a proven way to help you stay clear on what you are currently working towards.



ACTION IDEA:
 Write out your three primary focus areas and put the note (or several of them) somewhere where you will see it throughout the day.  Then notice the difference in your focus and effectiveness. To get the most out of this strategy, ask a friend or a coach to support you by holding you accountable to your plan.

 

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Getting Out of the Gray Area

Posted on 25. Nov, 2009 by Rich Fettke.

“You can either take action or you can hang back and hope for a miracle.”
-Peter Drucker
 

Professional speaker Rosita Perez has a great rhyme that goes, “One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, three to get ready, three to get ready…” Can you relate? It’s such an easy trap to get stuck thinking, “Should I do it now? Maybe. Maybe not.”

The gray area between “yes” and “no,” which clouds your mind with indecision and frustration, is easy to get stuck in. This twilight zone is known as procrastination, an approach that can stifle your progress toward your dreams and goals. When you are stuck in the procrastination pit your energy can get zapped out of you faster than electricity from a California power plant.

The best way to overcome procrastination is to make a simple choice, either yes or no. Proactive as opposed to reactive, choice implies responsibility. You’re either going to discover what is holding you back and act on it or move ahead right now. It’s as straightforward as that.

What task or next step have you been getting ready for? Where have you been procrastinating?

My request for you is to make a choice.

You have three options:

1. Choose "no" and let it go. Simply embrace the fact that you’re never going to do it.

2. Another choice is to decide when you will take action (a specific date) and determine what that action will be. I’d suggest sharing that commitment with someone to help hold you accountable.

3. Choose one step you could take today — even a small step — toward your goal. Then follow through as soon as possible.

Making a choice is powerful. It will stop the procrastination energy drain and provide you with new freedom and motivation to focus on what really matters. What is your choice?

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Always Open

Posted on 24. Nov, 2009 by Rich Fettke.

Welcome to this place
A place of work and rest
There is no roof and the walls expand
To welcome in the best

Everyone’s invited
Come in to meet your dreams
This is where your future starts
And thoughts turn into things

This place is always open
It is you who holds the key
There are several ways to enter
Just close your eyes and see

Bring with you some questions
And step inside to learn
There are never-ending answers
To all of your concerns

Discover all your greatness
At this place we call the mind
A gift that’s born within us
In all of humankind

ACTION IDEA:

A curious mind creates possibilities. If you are seeking an answer to a challenge you are facing or a goal you would like to achieve, then take some time and use your mind. Right now, write down a question for the answer you are seeking on the back of a business card. It may be something like, "What do I need to accomplish my goal of ____________?" or maybe something like, "What is the answer to ______________?" Fill in the blanks with the outcome you desire and then carry this card with you and refer to it throughout the day.

Create a ritual to read your card on a regular basis — maybe before or after each meal or every morning and every evening — whatever you think would be the most consistent for you. Trust that you will discover an answer (or several answers!) and you will notice how powerful your mind can be.

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