The word has been leaked. One of my web design clients has been given a huge industry award. Tires Tires Tires has been named "America's Best Dealer" by Tire Review Magazine. It was supposed to be kept a secret until Monday night's big "Top Shop Award" dinner in Las Vegas. Congratulations to Dan and Dale and Gary and everyone at Tires3.com for getting some pretty sweet - and much deserved - recognition! Find out why they earned the award - read the Top Shop Award article.
We flew back to South Dakota last week and my 10 year old grandson got pretty nervous when he started reading signs at the airport. The threat level was “high”.
He wasn't so sure we should be getting on the plane. Luckily it's not too difficult to redirect the attention of a 10 year old and we got him on the plane. And everything turned out fine.
In fact, the odds of dying in a terrorist attack are infinitesimal. But they make great fodder for fear-mongering by newspeople and politicians. Newspeople for the ratings, politicans for the votes.
There's was an interesting article on Fear in Psychology Today that says we have it all wrong.
Our fear mechanisms were developed in the days when we were often the prey and not the predator. Even now if you go walking in the desert and hear a rattlesnake you're going to freeze – that's your instincts taking over. But that fear mechanism that helps hide you from the motion sensitive sight of a predator is exactly the wrong reaction to a modern situation where a car is suddenly veering toward you.
Our primitive instincts screw up our reactions - and our thinking.
Studies have shown that after 9-11, one and a half million people cancelled their holiday flying plans and drove instead. Looking back at traffic casualties, an additional 1000 people died as a result.
People who wear seatbelts drive faster. Have a big 4-wheel drive? You don't get a superman's cape with that, but you drive like it – and have more accidents in lousy weather than people with sedans.
We think that marijuana is more dangerous than football for our teens. No one has died of a marijuana overdose, but about a dozen high school football players died of injuries in 2006. Last year 5 died.
Sunshine kills multitudes more than nuclear power. But big 9-11 type incidents like 3-mile Island and Chernobyl hit the news and get pounded into our psyches.
We're wearing pink ribbons and doing 3 day walks for breast cancer – but heart disease kills more women than all kinds of cancer combined.
6 times as many people die of diabetes than aids
appendicitis kills more than salmonella
and malnutrition kills more than pregnancy and childbirth
But if you watch the news, follow the ads, and listen to the politicians you get a completely different impression.
Here's a good example: which killed more Americans: Bird Flu or Mad Cow Disease?
It's a trick question, neither killed any Americans. In fact, over the last 30 years, if you combine the deaths of both mad cow disease and bird flu, the number is less than 500 - worldwide.
But both dominated the airwaves and scared people into buying flu shots or wearing masks or cutting down on beef they ate. Great for big pharma and bad for agriculture.
Roosevelt had it right – the problem is fear itself. Constant stress is harmful to us physically and mentally. Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, lowered immunity, even memory and formation of bone are affected. Depression is rampant.
Maybe that’s why you're more likely to die of suicide than homicide.
This week, look at your fears and assess the real risks – get some real numbers, not opinions. Then take one positive action that goes against a fear that might be holding you back.
Oh, and shut off the media until after the election.
For use 10/26/2010 at the Scottsdale Innovators business leads group - BNI
Lynn McColley
Small Business Web Site Design from McColley Marketing Media
