Yesterday, I posted this about the importance of better managing how you panic. It turns out that the Democratic Party is in something of a panic because Obama appears too relaxed. When interviewed for an article in the September 18th 2008 issue of Time magazine Obama provided a lucid rationale for not being too hot under the collar. He argues that he knows the history, current situation, and propensities of his opponent and the party he represents.

The article in Time puts it thus:

“…but Obama doesn’t do spontaneous combustion.  And he’s keenly away of the deeper danger of fire for America’s first black presidential nominee.  Over the past 19 months, he’s been attacked as a naive novice, an empty suit, a tax-and-spend liberal, an arugula-grazing elitist and a corrupt ward heeler, but the attacks that nearly derailed him involved the Rev. Jeremiah Wright - attacks designed to portray Obama as an angry black man.  White America has embraced unthreatening African Americans like Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, and Colin Powell, but this is still a majority-white country, and Obama does not want to be stereotyped as a race man like Malcolm X”.

As you learn to panic more effectively, chose your stereotype well.

Image courtesy of Beth Can.

Imagine the scene. An overweight Sales Executive is standing outside the back door of his office building – fag in hand of course! Normally, this is where he congregates with fellow smokers but today he is on his own and he is in panic mode. He is worrying about this month’s sales numbers. 

No. He is not worrying about his health because he knows he will have plenty of time to do that when he is admitted to hospital. This man has not learned to panic strategically because, if he had, he would have been panicking about this month’s sales figures three to six months’ ago. Today, he should be panicking about his health and seeking to get and keep fit.

The specifics will be different for different people but how good are you at making sure whenever you panic or worry, you are doing so strategically?