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Fear and anxiety affects every level of society and the common perception is that it is the event that we are facing that is causing our anxious response. But is this true? If a business closes and 4 people are made redundant, how will these people react? One may lose their sleep like Colin Powell and, believing there are no more jobs, become depressed. Another may become hyperactive, plunging into a frantic job search in an unfocused effort to find work. A third may go into denial, pretending that everything is fine and take no corrective action. And a fourth may calmly sit back, accept what has happened and take intelligent steps to find work.

Such a scenario is commonplace and it reveals an interesting facet of human nature - any event that triggers fear and anxiety in a group of people will illicit a different response from each person. What does this prove? It proves that it is not being made redundant that causes you to fear - it is how you choose to respond to the situation. You are in charge of your own emotions.

You can choose to remain calm and act intelligently in any circumstance. For example when watching the James Bond movies we all love, we are kept riveted to our seats. Why is this? Our hero, James Bond, is unflappable. By choosing to remain calm in every testing situation, he is able to discern the most appropriate course of action. The more adversity he encounters, the stronger and more creative he becomes - and he wins out every time. That's why we admire this superhero so much - we want to be like him - and we can. Here's how.

1. Stay confident by always choosing to believe in yourself
The first thing I want you to do is to believe you are really capable, even if you do not feel like this at the moment. Think of the athletes who compete in the Paralympics. They may have a leg missing, or be blind or deaf, but that does not stop them. By focusing on what they can do, they become great athletes. Everyone has hidden talents in abundance that they can bring into play to cope with any situation.

In my own case, in my early twenties, my world came crashing down when I developed a mental illness. After being sacked from my job as an architect, my psychiatrist told me I would probably never work again. I immediately lost faith in myself. I became angry and spent my day chopping wood to let off steam. But no matter how much wood I chopped the anger would not go away. Eventually I turned the anger in on myself and I become very depressed.

It took me years to get out of the hole I was in. I had chosen to react negatively and to lose confidence in myself. It was only years later, when my confidence returned, that I discovered many hidden talents that I had but never used, and merrily set about putting them to work. So please, no matter how bleak the situation appears, never lose confidence in yourself and in your ability to deal with it. Remember - you are an amazing person.

2. Accept whatever happens to you gracefully
Many of us suffer from the delusion that we can control whatever happens to us in life. Then when life does not go according to plan, we become fearful and upset. Life is played out on a much bigger playing field than our own little world. Sometimes this “bigger game” will call us forward to be “players”, whether we want to or not.

For example at the present time the world economy is going through a recession. People are frightened, naturally enough. But be sure of this - out of this recession a new economy will be built. This new economy will be soundly financed, planet friendly, cooperative and prosperous. So if your old world is crumbling and you cannot rescue it, accept that and, keeping your eye on the bigger picture, join the growing band of people who will pick themselves up, dust themselves down and set about building this new world.

For example four visionary people realized that the world would have to find an alternative to fossil fuels. They accepted oil prices would soon peak and that biomass was an ideal new fuel source. With rare insight, they founded Kedco and began manufacturing wood pellets, selling them in the UK and Ireland as a fuel for home heating. Today their business is well established and they are ideally poised to expand once oil prices rise again.

By accepting what you cannot change, you will move through the fear barrier and release energy for fresh endeavour.

3. Live out of the possibilities of the future
Life is all about creating new possibilities. Unpleasant things happen - and they don't just happen to you, they happen to everyone. When something in your life isn't working anymore, you need to let it go and look to the future. To move forward into the future successfully employ the previous two highlighted skills, stay confident and accept what is happening, and then focus all your energy on opening up new possibilities.

Please do not try and break new ground on your own - but stay away from doom-mongers and naysayers. Handpick positive, optimistic, creative people from among friends, family, work colleagues and others and declare your intention to take action, by sharing your new beginnings with them. Ask for help and be open to assistance that comes through these sources. Choose from among your team one person who you admire most for their creativity and optimism and ask him/her to be your champion. Then work closely with your team and that one particular person to open up new possibilities. Step confidently into the openings that result and watch your life develop in a fascinating direction.

For example in 1998, Mark Pollock was a student and international rower with a promising future on offer in London, when he suddenly lost his sight. He had been on a high as he prepared for his final exams in Trinity College Dublin, but his future plans evaporated into thin air with the news that he would never see again. For a time he lost faith in himself, but he emerged from his depression, accepted his disability and, drawing on hidden talents and on the help of his team of supporters, he began to create new possibilities. Today he is a well known polar adventurer, marathon runner and motivational speaker.

Like Mark you can break through the fear barrier by choosing to have confidence in yourself, accepting what you cannot change and starting to live out of the possibilities of the future. By confidently declaring your new course of action and accepting help when it is offered, your fear will subside as you carve out a path in the wilderness. Although you will be tested by such a change in life direction you can rise to this challenge, remembering that while there may be a shortage of jobs, there is never a shortage of work. So, like thousands before you, say goodbye to pointless anxiety and eagerly embrace the exciting adventure that waits beyond the fear barrier.

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