13 Things Mentally Strong People Don\'t Do: Take Back Your Power, Embrace Change, Face Your Fears, and Train Your Brain for Happiness and Success pdfdrive com

CALCULATE RISKS AND REDUCE FEAR
It had never before occurred to Dale that he didn’t have to dive into a business
headfirst. Once he began identifying ways to reduce the chances that he’d go
bankrupt, he felt relieved and was able to think more logically about how he
could turn his business into a reality. Clearly, there was a chance that he may not
ever earn back the money he invested in starting the business, but after thinking
it through, that was a calculated risk he was willing to accept.
BALANCE EMOTION WITH LOGIC
Don’t get fooled into thinking that your anxiety level should be the factor that
helps you make the final decision about risk. Your feelings may be very
unreliable. The more emotional you feel, the less logical your thoughts will be.
Increase your rational thoughts about the risk you’re facing to balance out your
emotional reaction.
Many people are terrified to fly in airplanes. Often, this fear stems from a lack
of control. The pilot is in control, not the passengers, and this lack of control
instills fear. Many potential passengers are so afraid they choose to drive great
distances to get to a destination instead of flying. But their decision to drive is
based solely on emotion, not logic. Logic says that statistically, the odds of dying
in a car crash are around 1 in 5,000, while the odds of dying in a plane crash are
closer to 1 in 11 million.
If you’re going to take a risk, especially one that could possibly involve your
well-being, wouldn’t you want the odds in your favor? However, most people
choose the option that will cause them the least amount of anxiety. Pay attention
to the thoughts you have about taking the risk and make sure you’re basing your
decision on facts, not just feelings.

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Most of the research shows that we are pretty bad at accurately calculating
risk. Frighteningly, many of our major life decisions are based on complete
irrationality:
• We incorrectly judge how much control we have over a situation. We’re
usually more willing to take bigger risks when we think we have more
control. Most people feel more comfortable when they’re in the driver’s seat
of a car for example, but just because you’re in the driver’s seat doesn’t mean
you can avoid an accident.
• We overcompensate when safeguards are in place. We behave more
recklessly when we think there are safety nets in place, and ultimately, we
increase our risk. People tend to speed more when they wear their seat belts.
And insurance companies discovered that increased safety features on cars
actually correlated with higher accident rates.
• We don’t recognize the difference between skill and chance. Casinos have
discovered that when gamblers play craps, they roll the dice differently
depending on what type of number they need to win. When they want to roll
a high number, they throw the dice hard. When they want a small number,
they roll the dice softly. Even though it’s a game of chance, people behave as
if it involves some level of skill.
• We are influenced by our superstitious beliefs. Whether a business leader
wears his lucky socks or a person reads his horoscope before leaving the
house, superstitions impact our willingness to take risks. On average, ten
thousand fewer people fly on Friday the thirteenth, and black cats are less
likely to get adopted from a shelter on that day. Although research shows
most people think crossing their fingers increases their luck, in reality, it does
nothing to mitigate risk.
• We become easily deluded when we see a potentially large payoff. Even when
the odds are stacked against you, if you really like the potential payoff, like
in the lottery for example, you’ll likely overestimate your odds of success.
• We grow comfortable with familiarity. The more often we take a risk, the

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more we tend to miscalculate how big of a risk we’re actually taking. If you
take the same risk over and over again, you’ll stop perceiving it as risky. If
you speed on your way to work every day, you’ll greatly underestimate the
danger you’re putting yourself in.
• We place a lot of faith in other people’s abilities to perceive risk accurately.
Emotions can be contagious. If you’re in a crowd of people who don’t react
to the smell of smoke, it’s likely you might not sense much danger. In
contrast, if other people begin to panic, you’re much more likely to react.
• We can be influenced by the media in how we perceive risk. If you are
constantly exposed to news stories about a rare disease, you’re more likely to
think your chances of contracting the disease are higher, even if all the news
stories are only reporting on isolated incidents. Similarly, stories about
natural disasters or tragic events can cause you to feel you are at a greater
risk of catastrophe than you actually are.