Amidst the “high stakes news” of late maybe it is time for a more mellow message. Whether it has been G-7 talks, world leader summits, US Federal Reserve meetings, celebrity events – or your child’s graduation from kindergarten – the art of not freaking out seems to be harder than ever.
Even in professional golf with the US Open at Shinnecock Hills taking place as you read this, the world’s best golfers will be put to the test not to freak out on one of the hardest golf courses on the planet to claim the rare title of “major champion” (good luck, guys!). Of course, from my perspective, there is always a way to relate these types of events back to our financial and personal lives.
During high-pressure situations, I have learned one way to keep calm (there are numerous others!) is to find a person who you TRUST to walk or work alongside you on the most important matters. Trust leads to faith – faith that your best interests are being protected, from your golf game to your kids to your business to your health… to your money. To trust takes time, patience and “roll up your sleeves” hard work – things my father taught me.
With Father’s Day on the horizon, it also may be that our fathers – and the father figures in our lives – showed us how best to choose those in whom we place our trust. Be it a friend or a professional (the person could be one in the same: a friend AND a professional) that trusted person we seek out can be the difference between near disaster and success.
If we could only learn that freaking out almost never solves things. The alternative – reaching out to a trusted person or partner to assist in assessing a stressful or emotional event – can bring a calm never imagined. Each year, each market, political and social cycle sheds more light on the art of not freaking out.