Picture the following scenario:

You’re walking along, minding your own business, when suddenly – inspiration strikes! You have a brilliant idea, and for a few sweet moments, you are SO excited! You think about how much fun it will be to create and bring this new idea to life. You think about all the people that will benefit from it. You think about the joy it will bring.

But then – you start to doubt yourself and your ability to make this idea happen. You think about how busy you are, and how you don’t have time to work on this right now. You think about what other people will say if you pursue this idea.

And just like that – as quickly as this brilliant idea came into existence, it’s momentum for creation is gone. 

… Has that ever happened to you? 

I know it’s happened to me – MANY times. 

The culprit in this scenario – and these reason so many of our most brilliant, exciting, potentially world-changing ideas never get off the cutting room floor – is (as you might have guessed) ourselves. We let worry and fear cloud our potential, and it seems easier to just… not. To just stay within our comfort zone and stick to the status quo. Instead of thinking about all that could go RIGHT, we focus on what could go WRONG, and talk ourselves out of trying.

So, today I want to share a tactic that helps you eliminate this fear – that shows you how to stop worrying and get to creating! 

The Worry Buster Method – What Is It & How to Use It

One of my favorite methods for overcoming the fear of failure and facing worry head-on is one that I learned from my mentor, Brian Tracy – something he calls the “Worry Buster” method.

The key to the Worry Buster method as it relates to shirking a fear of failure is this: ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Whatever it is that you’re trying to accomplish, whatever big goal or undertaking it is that you’re going after – if you find yourself really struggling with a fear of failure – take a look at your current situation and your efforts, and ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Step 1: Define the problem or situation

There are four essential steps in the standard Worry Buster method (and a fifth one that I’ve added on!)

The first step is to clearly define the problem or situation that you’re worried about. When we find ourselves stressed about a project or task, the first thing we need to do is identify EXACTLY what it is that’s causing us fear or worry. What are we afraid of? Get specific.

If you’re in the process of starting a new business – maybe one that you’ve been thinking about starting for YEARS, and you’re finally taking the leap – but you find yourself paralyzed with fear and worry, take some time to identify exactly what it is that you’re afraid of. “Fear of failure” is not enough here – really whittle down to specific triggers in your mental and emotional state. What does “failure” mean? Is is that you’ll lose a lot of money? Is it that your family and friends will judge you for trying something new? Is it that you’re afraid you don’t know what you’re doing? Spend some time with your thoughts (because, chances are, these fear thoughts are running rampant in your brain right now!) and really listen to them so you can get to the root of what it is that’s causing you worry and fear.

Step 2: Detail the “worst case scenario”

The next step is to take some time to really think about this “failure” outcome, and write it down in detail. This is Step 2 of the Worry Buster method: sometimes just the action of defining what failure looks like is enough to take away its power over us. When we see our “failure” on paper – it doesn’t seem so big, so ominous, so unknown anymore. (We all know how much scarier fear of the unknown is than fear of the “known,” right?) And with that in mind, we can gain a sense of peace that it IS overcome-able, should it happen.

Step 3: Resolve to accept it

Step 3 of the Worry Buster method is easy to say, but harder to do: resolve to accept that “worst case scenario” outcome you just wrote down, should it happen. This is a choice – nothing more, nothing less. Tell yourself out-loud, that IF that failure scenario unfolds, things will be okay. YOU will be okay. It’s a small step on your journey to greatness, and you will learn from it to become better, stronger, and more resilient.

Step 4: Take preventative measures

The final step of the traditional Worry Buster method is to put preventative measures in place to make sure this failure scenario does not occur. Now that you know what failure looks like (since you’ve written it down in detail), what can you do to diminish its chances of manifestation?

Think of this step of the method as the same strategy an athlete employs when he or she “watches film” of an upcoming opponent. Familiarize yourself with the specifics of your personal failure scenario so you can prepare yourself fully and arm yourself for battle and the triumph of your own success.

Step 5 (a P&P bonus!): Emotionally detach from the outcome

Now, I like to add another step to my own personal version of the Worry Buster method. After you’ve gone through the process of pin-pointing your worries, detailing the worst-case scenario, resolving to accept it (should it happen), and coming up with preventative measures, the final step I like to add onto the process is to emotionally detach from the outcome, whatever it may be. This has been a concept that for me, personally in my own life, has been very hard to learn and employ. But once I embraced it, it changed the game for me. I even have a post-it note on my bathroom mirror right now that serves as a constant reminder of this idea: “Pursue the possibilities, detach from the outcomes.”

Regardless of what happens in your personal and professional pursuits in like – the outcomes do not DEFINE you. And more so, you cannot always control them. You just can’t. But as long as you do the work, and you put in every possible effort to be successful and achieve your goals (and this is continuous, friends, it’s not a “one and done” deal), then you will always have something to be proud of. Celebrate your victories, but give yourself the grace to emotionally detach from failures, should they occur. Failure is not, and should not, be an emotional occurrence. Again, this is a matter of retraining your brain to think about failure as an opportunity, not as a loss.

Final Thoughts On How to Stop Worrying & Start Creating

At the end of the day – one of the best ways for learning how to stop worrying, and overcoming a fear of failure is to force yourself to just start.

I was listening to an episode of Jenna Kutcher’s podcast the other day, and she said something that really connected for me. She said:

In other words, don’t let perfection paralyze you into inaction. Moving forward, especially in the face of fear or worry, is always better than standing still. And you never know – that idea you just had may end up being world-changing! The only way to find out – is to start.