Being fearful is an act of being human.  There are 2,000 different documented cases of fear:  fear of bugs, birds and bonding, fear of heights, hair and hot things, fear of books, boats and bicycles, some have a fear of driving, fear of expressing and the worlds most famous fear…fear of failure.

It’s the one subject that’s talked and written about more than any other and the reality of it is….who can help you decrease the pressure? 

There’s a common link between all fears…the fear of change.  What will your life be like if you elect to move ahead?  It’s only natural to want to be better in one, two or five years but reaching that destination is going to put you into several states of no longer being who you were five minutes ago.

Most change because of sickness and or addiction.  But what about the person who isn’t ill and wants to lose weight, stop working late or flat out wants to be nice?  Change is a constant that requires a daily if not hourly massage. 

Can you imagine being part of the airline world who continues to lose billions of dollars?  Look at the changes they’re being forced to make!  Not too far on their coat   tails is the banking industry and all businesses connected.  We are in a state of change in America and those who elect to accept a normal procedure of life will end up being champions on the opposite end. 

Because of gas prices we’re being forced to change a few habits.  I recently read an article based on how this will affect our behaviors in the way of reintroducing bicycles to our lifestyle.  We’re walking more and since we can’t zoom down the road on a moments notice to grab a burger with biggie fries…in a strange weird wacky way our weight is going through a change. 

Realistically though…that change falls under the category of sickness or addiction.

In the radio world, I live change everyday.  It’s never the same day twice.  That thought was branded into my pattern by Andrew Ashwood in 1991 when he said, “If you expect to stand around then expect to fall.  In my world…there will be change because I will enforce it to better suit the constant change that goes around us everyday.  If you want to get off the ride…you aren’t hurting my feelings but rather injuring your chances of growing.” 

My Sabumnim in Tae Kwon Do preaches the same message, “I’m not going to stand here and allow my standards of change to be affected by methods of laziness.  You must always be ready for change.” 

Over 2,000 different types of fear and change is the name of the tune Casey Kasum has officially declared Billboard Magazines number one song of the week. 

I sat with Dan Valli yesterday, a well respected leader within the deeply dug trenches of a vivid radio view.  We spoke not as consultant expressing to radio jock but rather two visionaries who happened to cross the path at the same time…a comparing of notes, a sharing of experiences, a rhythm firmly attached to not our lives but those associated with the idea of becoming tomorrow's broadcasting leaders.  

Twenty years ago I feared this man because I knew his knowledge would change my ways of sharing thought on the radio. That’s what consultants do!  In an interview conducted after my four hour speech at Appalachian University, I was very calmly asked at what point in my life did I realize something different was happening and all that was taking place would change?  I knew of that moment before the interviewer could finish the question…when someone took the time to recognize the person who accepted the change and grew beyond their expectations.  To this day I still own the letter Dan wrote to my boss in 1985 that dealt with a wild kid from Montana with tons of out of control energy but very worth shaping. 

That’s the change we need to make in America.  Rather than invite fear through the methods of how our lives are going to change…welcome change by means of complimenting the behaviors of those who will lift not only themselves but all others involved in making your company unstoppable.  You never know where your seeds will one day bloom unforgettable roses.

arroecollins@clearchannel.com

How often have you heard someone at work admit, "I'm in a predicament."  Some have problems while others have predicaments.  Is there a difference?  Yes! 

If I stub my toe, I have a problem.  Turn back three or four pages and look closer at the reasons why I stubbed my toe, was it because I was walking carelessly?  Did my toe meet the counter because I was running to get to my desk?  How often does this occur? 

If the habits you hold create problems...in essence, you have a predicament.  If my elbow knocks over a large  glass of water and it’s the first time in months or years, that's a problem. 

Becoming aware of the predicament is the only way to bypass it.  Like an addiction, predicaments are the end result of something you've done for a long time. 

Rubbing my left hand through my hair makes it oily by the end of the day.  Not a problem, a predicament.  To solve this problem, I am aware of how it flattens my hair.  To correct the situation, I must either tie my left arm behind my back or physically watch what I am doing before I lift my hand toward my hair.  The guilty party?  Stress!  When the pressure is on, I throw my fingers on hair duty. 

The new solution would be to figure out what creates the stress. 

Your mind, body and soul are individual creatures of habit.  How many people have you met that seem to live by the rules of fate?  They toss their work ethics into a giant pit and whatever happens...happens...never taking note of what such an attitude does to a co-worker.

Text messaging and emails have given birth to a non-communicating generation.  Who needs to use physical words when typed out thought is easy and comes with no pressure?  Hit the note in the one reading, now you have a problem or was it a predicament.  It happened to me last week...as a way of communicating that I received an email, the receiver totally read me wrong, creating an instant need to recover...which led to a misinterpreted phone call.

My way of communicating didn't match theirs.  The end result was something that should've taken place in chapter one, "Make the call!"  I don't mind being told when I've made a slight error.  He had mentioned that I shouldn't have replied...whoa...gulp!  Been there, done that...end result was not a problem or predicament but words that haven't been invented yet. 

How many office squabbles are heated up by self caring words that become knives in the back to those picking up the opposite end?  One of my mentors Bill Conway sharply warned his air talent to always be aware of everything you write.  What we say has a big big impact if it's taken wrong.  

The tree outside my recording studio falls through the window...that's a problem.  Ignoring the woodpeckers who've been nawing on it for weeks is a predicament.  

The wobble in your car tires could cause a problem.   If it’s been there for weeks, your constant need to ignore it has led to a predicament.  

All this stems from a book called Who are you?  In the process of locating the elements that make up the scratches in your shell...truthfulness to self must be played out...locating a problem might in fact be a predicament, which can always been fixed with a twist, push or flat out overhaul.  Your check the engine light has been on for how many miles?

arroecollins@clearchannel.com