The Fear Factor

The Fear Factor is real. Whether staring down a black diamond ski slope or financial ruin in the stock market, fear can take over your life, causing the stomach to flip-flop, the head to ache, and the nerves to become as taut as violin strings. Please don’t tell someone who is afraid to simply “don’t be afraid.” That never works. The most constructive thing I was ever told—when I faced foreclosure on rental properties that I considered my financial security blanket—was: “What’s the worst thing that could happen?”