When we started this series, I assumed I would discuss how to lead others who are struggling with anxiety. After all, these are posts on a leadership platform.
However, two realizations have stopped me from writing these posts: 1) I’m uncertain whether I have any insights to share. 2) Who you are as a leader affects your team just as much as what you do. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.”
So, I want to finish this series talking about hope and faith. Hope and Faith are essential in combating anxiety.
Hal Elrod writes in his book, The Miracle Equation:
“Most people habitually allow their fear and self-doubt to consume their thinking, Miracle Mavens choose to override fear with faith. They have a foundational mindset that they can and will win at everything they do, while simultaneously being willing to accept when they don’t win and quickly moving on.”
Do you HABITUALLY allow fear and self-doubt to consume your thinking?
Many of us have allowed ourselves to drift into the streams of fear, fueled daily through the news and entertainment we consume.
To combat that fear, you must engage in practices that fuel your faith and hope. Here are some ways I fuel faith and hope in my life.
- Recall what I have been through so far.
Anxiety creates an illusion that you cannot handle what MIGHT happen.
For example, if you are on a trip, your anxiety may nag you with, “What if you miss your connection?”
I have missed my connection before, and it has been frustrating but not fatal. - Get plenty of sleep.
My hope drains when I am tired—enough said. - Begin my day with a positive routine.
I developed and adapted a morning routine from Hal Elrod’s The Miracle Morning. (Hal is a speaker at the Leadercast 2025: The Legacy of Impact conference.)
When I begin my day with it, I feel hope. When I skip it, anxiety creeps in more easily throughout the day. - Remember my band of brothers.
Humans are communal. One of the great lies of Western culture is that a good life is found in not having to rely on others. Rugged individualism as an ideal does significant damage to the human spirit.
So, I try to connect with my “band of brothers” regularly. Unfortunately, many of them do not live right next to me, so on my daily walks, I will call them to connect. - Prayer.
As a person of faith, prayer connects me to a higher power. It reminds me that I am not alone and that everything is not dependent on me.
Your list may differ from mine, but everyone needs a list of concrete activities that fuel faith and hope.