Fighting The FUDS

There is no one I know who doesn’t, at one time or another, suffer from a case of the FUDS. FUDS are limiting beliefs which we consciously or unconsciously use to keep us from taking action on whatever confronts us. FUDS are the fears, uncertainties, doubts or suspicions we conjure up in our heads, of which 95% or more are figments of our imagination. These FUDS, at a minimum, bog us down and, at worst, stop us as if mired in concrete we are unable to take any positive action. Check it out. The next time you seem to be treading water or spinning in the sand, not able to finish a report or make that tough decision and struggle speaking to a difficult employee or customer, ask yourself if you are suffering from one of the FUDS. Stop and clear the way to action to sweep away those conjured negatives that are stubbornly embedded in your head. Ask yourself if those FUDS are real, factual, objective and tangible or are they simply beliefs from your upbringing, fears of losing friendships or admonishments from your teachers. Remember, once upon a time almost everyone believed that the world was flat; Columbus forgot the FUDS and took action to prove differently. If you have the FUDS, you are not dumb, silly, crazy or otherwise. At the core, I believe the FUDS simply scare us. So what are you afraid of?

Do you remember Berkley Breathed’s cartoon strip Bloom County? Two characters, Binkley, the boy, and Opus, the penguin, were constantly challenged by the demons they created in their respective heads. Binkley with his closet full of FUDS and Opus with all the FUDS wanting to come out from under his bed. Almost every week I laughed at and commiserated with them as they fought the FUDS.

Stripped to their essence, these limiting beliefs create a mindset that we must trade one good, even beloved dream or action for another. This negative mindset comes with a price tag you can’t possibly afford. STOP IT!  Check out the facts, ask questions, release yourself from the invisible chains and emotional handcuffs that really don’t exist. Look for positive results that will come from action. Fight the FUDS and find success through taking informed action instead of emotional, imagined and invisible non- existent baggage.