"More than any other time in history, mankind face a crossroad. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, and the other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly." - Woody Allen (Side Effect)

Is it possible to live a fear-free and worry-free life with what is happening around us? That is the one million-dollar question I have often found people asking me. We all face so much fear in life, both the poor and the rich. You will be surprise to note that the rich also cry.

Fear is the very natural and normal response to the challenges we face in life. Fear tells us that there is something we must be cautious about. It puts us on alert and tells us there is something we must be prepared for. We face so many fears in life: fear of change, fear of the unknown and fear of rejection, amongst others. But the single greatest obstacle to success in adult life is fear of failure.

The average person starts out in life with very few negative emotions. As he goes through life, negative emotions begin to accumulate like souvenirs. It is impossible for us to realise our full potential unless we leave our negative emotions behind. And there is one negative emotion that seems to be endemic to our society: 'worry'. Worry is a sustained form of fear caused by indecision. This means that as soon as we make a decision to act in any worrisome situation; fear, tension and stress begin to diminish.

But how do we conquer fears and worries? One of the best ways to conquer fear is to face it. If we face fears and worries we 'step up', but when we run away from it we 'step off' from the race of life.

In self-development seminars we are told that when faced with worry we should apply the master method, which is one of the most powerful methods of dealing with fear. First of all, define very clearly what you're worrying about. The second step is to ask yourself 'what is the worst possible outcome of the situation?' The third step is to resolve to accept the worst, should it, and the final step is to do everything humanly possible to make sure that the worst does not happen.

But my mother has a different approach on how to conquer fears and worries. Hers is spiritual. She asks me to go into my Bible and recite the Psalms. Anytime I am confronted with fears and worries, Psalms have a way of comforting me. They give me confidence that if I entrust Him with my fears and worries, He will take care of it because He never fails.