CHAPTER 3
19WHAT’S STOPPING YOU?
They conquer who believe they can. One has not learned the lesson of life who does not each day surmount a fear.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON1
COMMON FEARS ABOUT DOWNSHIFTING
Quite often, we are ourselves the real roadblocks to working less. We postpone downshifting, not only because of external pressures (presented in the last chapter) but also by our own internally generated worries. We’re fearful because we’re contemplating a change; we’re trading something we know for something that is less certain. We also realize that risks are involved, and risks are scary. It would be unnatural not to have at least a few concerns about downshifting.
Psychologists tell us that the best way to cope with fears is to confront them. ...
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