"The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure."

- Sven Goran Eriksson

Learning How to Fall

By Paul Lawrence

When I found that I could earn college credits by taking judo, I jumped at the chance. I'd been taking karate for a couple of years and I was pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. I was used to getting punched and kicked, so I figured judo wouldn't be any big deal.

As I entered the first class, I felt pretty confident. The instructor gave me a hearty welcome and explained that judo was basically like wrestling. I paired up with a guy about my size and the instructor said to "give it a go." My opponent quickly grabbed me and flipped me over his back and onto the mat. The pain was excruciating. All I could do was lie there in shock. This sure wasn't karate!

If I hadn't needed the credits to graduate, I may never have gone back. But I did need the credits, so back I went. And in the next class, my instructor taught me something that changed the way I have since thought about all challenges - physical or mental, personal or business. He taught me how to land.

Landing in judo involves twisting and absorbing the impact of the fall in your leg and hip while slapping the mat with your hand. Do that, and it doesn't hurt at all.

Once I knew how to protect myself by landing right, I lost my fear of being flipped. A few weeks later - despite being such a novice - I agreed to participate in a judo tournament. And because I was no longer afraid of getting flipped, I actually won a few matches.

It's amazing how much self-assurance you can suddenly have when you know how to negate the risk of something that had seemed frightening. Of course, learning how to "land" is different depending on the challenge you're facing. But as long as you know how to minimize the potential "pain," you can take on almost anything.

Here's another example. When I first began doing stand-up comedy, I was terrified that people wouldn't laugh at my jokes. My fears, it turns out, were well founded. I bombed the first time I performed my act in front of an audience. I was so bad, the crowd booed me off the stage. And the agony of that experience dwarfed any physical pain I'd ever felt.

Shortly thereafter, I began training with professional comics in a weekly workshop. There I learned that when you tell a joke that bombs, you've got to acknowledge it to the audience. They will usually laugh and be happy to give you another chance. So if I told a joke that got zero response, all I had to say to keep the audience on my side was, "Wow, I guess that joke sucked! It sure seemed funnier when I wrote it."

The technique worked. No longer afraid of trying out jokes that might tank, I became fearless onstage. (And I still am.)

Learning how to fall in both judo and comedy gave me massive courage where I had once been apprehensive. And this confidence-building technique applies in almost any challenging situation. I call it "The Antidote Strategy."

Being self-confident can help you get a job, win a new client, or get other people on your side. It can help you try a new hobby, lose weight, or even get a date. By developing an "Antidote Strategy," you can guarantee that you'll be at your best when attempting to succeed at just about anything.

Here is how to put The Antidote Strategy to work:

• Identify the possible negative outcome of the challenge.

Let's face it. A lot of things you could do that might help you become more successful are risky. Let's say you've been working on a new project idea. And to show your boss how creative and innovative you are, you want to present the idea at the company's next staff meeting. But you're afraid.

So Step One of The Antidote Strategy is to determine exactly what it is that you are afraid of. Will you feel stupid if your idea is rejected? Will you be disappointed? Will you be embarrassed?

• Create or find a way to prevent that negative result.

Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Do some research. Chances are many other people have struggled with the same type of challenge and have come up with a good way to deal with it.

Let's go back to our example. The experts I polled suggest a method similar to the one I use as a comic: self-deprecation. If your new project idea is ridiculed by your boss and co-workers, brush it off. You really can win people over by being humble - maybe even getting a laugh. So just smile and say something like, "You're right. I guess that wasn't one of my brighter ideas. But I've got more. You'll be hearing from me again."

• No matter how scary the challenge you are faced with, remind yourself that you have nothing to fear. You are prepared. If the worst happens, you have an antidote.

A lack of confidence prevents many people from achieving their full potential and reaching their goals. But with your safety net in place, you'll have a winning edge - the inner strength to take a chance and boldly "jump off buildings"... because you know you won't get hurt.

Do You Need More Lycopene?

By Dr. Ray Sahelian, MD

Lycopene - found in tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, apricots, papaya, and guava - is a powerful antioxidant. Numerous studies indicate that lycopene may lower the risk of heart disease, atherosclerosis, and macular degeneration. It may even play an important role in reducing risks of prostate cancer and breast cancer. And it can lower your blood pressure too.

With all these health benefits, it might seem like a no-brainer to start taking a lycopene supplement. But before you stock up, read on.

It seems to me that Americans consume far more tomatoes (and tomato-based products) than other fruits and vegetables. In other words, we may be consuming enough lycopene in our diet without needing a supplement. On the downside, we may not be getting enough of the healthy substances found in all those other fruits and vegetables.

Therefore, I am not convinced that taking a lycopene supplement will provide benefits to most people. Those who consume adequate or large amounts of tomato-based products may be better off with other types of supplements, such as acai, goji, noni, pomegranate, curcumin, and barley grass.

The point is, if you plan to take supplements, it's better to take nutrients that you don't normally consume in your diet.

The Language Perfectionist: Don't Take this "Chance"

By Don Hauptman

The word fortuitous is regularly misused. Because of its similarity to fortunate, people assume that it means the same thing. Examples:

• "As members of the Writers Guild of America strike... the timing of today's debut could be fortuitous."

• "A sudden knee pain near the end of an 18-mile run turned out to mean that I wouldn't be racing as planned in a coming marathon. 'Nothing but swimming,' said the doctor. But I had no idea how fortuitous his prescription would turn out to be."

Writers of the above are using the word as if it means favorable, fortunate, lucky. But the correct definition is "occurring by accident or chance." A chance event can be good, but it can also be neutral or even tragic.

Sometimes the context is ambiguous enough to allow the misinformed writer to get away with it. In such cases, the word could plausibly have either meaning. ("Fortuitously, we were asked earlier this year to join the Committee on Broadcast Arts.") But at least some readers will be left wondering what the writer is trying to say. Moreover, this sort of weaseling is no way to write.

Because the confusion is so widespread, it's probably best to avoid using the word. But if you choose to use it, be sure you understand its meaning.

[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was a direct-response copywriter. He is author of the wordplay books Cruel and Unusual Puns and Acronymania, and is now writing a new book that also blends language and humor.]

It's Fun to Know: Why the Early Bird Catches the Worm

Why are "early birds" able to feast on earthworms after a rainstorm?

Worms usually hate coming to the surface. (The sun's rays dry them out.) They get oxygen from the soil. But when it rains, their home becomes more water than air. To breathe, they must surface... which exposes them to hungry predators.

(Source: Popular Science)

Word to the Wise: Discursive

"Discursive" (dis-KUR-siv) - from the Latin for "to run in different directions" - means digressive or rambling.

Example (as used by Dan Balz in The Washington Post): "[Bill Clinton] is in general a discursive politician: Start him talking and you cannot get him to stop."

__________________________________________________
These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2328, 04-12-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.