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Worst Case Scenarios

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Worst Case Scenarios

ATTITUDE

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

— Franklin D. Roosevelt

" We suffer more in imagination than in reality."

— Seneca,

Roman Philosopher

Here is Ferris, explaining this process, he has called

"Fear Setting"

Writer and entrepreneur Tim Ferris openly admits that, like many of us, he feels the pressure when there’s lots on the line and he can’t stop imagining disaster ahead.

This activity is based on a process designed by Ferris - a process that can help us all tackle and tame our fears.

The thinking behind "fear setting" is this:

we often write down our goals and record plans for achieving them…

...but we never record our fears.

Define:
I get a C in Biology, miss my offer and get rejected from Bristol University

First, define your worst case scenario.

Objectively write it down without emotional language;

just a statement of fact at the top of the table (“I miss the grades needed for my chosen degree course” not “my grades are terrible and everything’s a disaster.”)

In the prevent column, record all the things you could do to either

Keep your actions small and realistic.

(i) prevent or

(ii) lower the likelihood of the fear coming true.

Prevent:

I could take the following achievable actions to lower the likelihood of my worst case scenario coming true…

Prevent:

I could take the following achievable actions to lower the likelihood of my worst case scenario coming true…

In the upside column, record the potentially good things that might happen as a result of your worst case scenario coming true.

Lessons you learn, skills you develop, relationships that are strengthened, new opportunities that might arise.

Repair

If my worst case scenario happened, I could take the following actions to try and partially fix things…

In the repair

column, list all the actions you could take to fix things - if the worst case scenario happened.

Again, keep them realistic and achievable.

The potential positives that might arise if my worst case scenario happened are…

Upside:

I could meet with another student who’s really good at the bits of the course I can’t do

I could ask my teacher for a one-to-one on the hard sections of the course

I could make small adjustments to my revision to give me more time on Biology

I could do more past papers, focussing on the hard questions

I could contact the university and ask to be re-considered if a student with an offer decides not to take it up

I could start a closely-related course, then ask to be transferred onto Biology after the first year

I could go through clearing

I could start a similar course with a slightly lower entry requirement

I might end up at another university and really enjoy the course there

I might end up much more resilient because I’ve worked harder and solved problems

I might meet a really inspiring professor at another university

My experience might mean I’m well-placed to help others

Instead, our fears stay in our minds, where they get distorted and exaggerated.

we fail an important test, exam or portfolio submission
we drop a grade and can’t get into our first choice university
we can’t motivate ourselves and end up doing no work between now and the end of term
we have to listen to teachers making critical comments at parents evening

We tend to carry them around with us every day, creating worst-case scenarios and fretting constantly, imagining what if…

...this way we can put our worst case scenarios under a microscope and objectively study them.

So rather than carrying our fears around every day, suffering as we imagine them all coming true, we can instead get them out of our heads and onto paper...

Here is our version of Ferris's process...

Prevent:

I could take the following achievable actions to lower the likelihood of my worst case scenario coming true…

Repair

If my worst case scenario happened, I could take the following actions to try and partially fix things…

The potential positives that might arise if my worst case scenario happened are…

Upside:

Define:

Prevent:

I could take the following achievable actions to lower the likelihood of my worst case scenario coming true…

Now it's your turn...

Think of a current fear you're grappling and reframe it using the "fear setting process"...

FINAL THOUGHTS

Hopefully this activity will help you get a clearer sense of perspective when everything feels overwhelming.
It pays back the time you put into it by calming your mind and giving you a better quality of life.
Try it…what’s the worst that could happen?

Worst Case Scenarios

ATTITUDE

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

— Franklin D. Roosevelt

The thinking behind "fear setting" is this:

we often write down our goals and record plans for achieving them…

...but we never record our fears.

Define:
I get a C in Biology, miss my offer and get rejected from Bristol University

First, define your worst case scenario.

Objectively write it down without emotional language;

just a statement of fact at the top of the table (“I miss the grades needed for my chosen degree course” not “my grades are terrible and everything’s a disaster.”)

In the prevent column, record all the things you could do to either

Keep your actions small and realistic.

(i) prevent or

(ii) lower the likelihood of the fear coming true.

Prevent:

I could take the following achievable actions to lower the likelihood of my worst case scenario coming true…

Prevent:

I could take the following achievable actions to lower the likelihood of my worst case scenario coming true…

In the upside column, record the potentially good things that might happen as a result of your worst case scenario coming true.

Lessons you learn, skills you develop, relationships that are strengthened, new opportunities that might arise.

Repair

If my worst case scenario happened, I could take the following actions to try and partially fix things…

In the repair

column, list all the actions you could take to fix things - if the worst case scenario happened.

Again, keep them realistic and achievable.

The potential positives that might arise if my worst case scenario happened are…

Upside:

I could meet with another student who’s really good at the bits of the course I can’t do

I could ask my teacher for a one-to-one on the hard sections of the course

I could make small adjustments to my revision to give me more time on Biology

I could do more past papers, focussing on the hard questions

I could contact the university and ask to be re-considered if a student with an offer decides not to take it up

I could start a closely-related course, then ask to be transferred onto Biology after the first year

I could go through clearing

I could start a similar course with a slightly lower entry requirement

I might end up at another university and really enjoy the course there

I might end up much more resilient because I’ve worked harder and solved problems

I might meet a really inspiring professor at another university

My experience might mean I’m well-placed to help others

Instead, our fears stay in our minds, where they get distorted and exaggerated.

we fail an important test, exam or portfolio submission
we drop a grade and can’t get into our first choice university
we can’t motivate ourselves and end up doing no work between now and the end of term
we have to listen to teachers making critical comments at parents evening

We tend to carry them around with us every day, creating worst-case scenarios and fretting constantly, imagining what if…

...this way we can put our worst case scenarios under a microscope and objectively study them.

So rather than carrying our fears around every day, suffering as we imagine them all coming true, we can instead get them out of our heads and onto paper...

Here is our version of Ferris's Process...

FINAL THOUGHTS

Hopefully this activity will help you get a clearer sense of perspective when everything feels overwhelming.
It pays back the time you put into it by calming your mind and giving you a better quality of life.
Try it…what’s the worst that could happen?