Have you ever dreaded doing a task? Depending on how bad you are dreading something it can make you physically sick.  I remember feeling like that every morning before I went to court when I first started practicing law.  It is a little better now, but I still get very nervous because I want to do an excellent job for my clients - and because they are counting on me.

Most recently, I have been dealing with an IRS revenue officer for one of my clients.  Every time I talk to her, it seems like I get a different personality.  I thought we had settled this case several months ago and she came back and told me my clients were going to have to pay these extraordinary amounts of money each month!  It was like we never had any discussion before.  I was so mad and let her know it.  Finally, I just told her to issue her decision so I could appeal it and talk to someone else.  Basically, I was tired of talking to her.

So, as my appeal requests have been working their way through the system, she and I have been playing phone tag for a few weeks over some information that I previously sent her.  I have not been looking forward to actually connecting with her.  Actually, I have really been dreading it.

We finally caught up with each other today.  And I think we settled the case.  Of course, I thought that a few months ago too.  Any way, the conversation that I have been dreading for some time was not nearly as bad as I was expecting.  Actually, it turned out better than I expected because we got a great result for the client.

As I look back of my law practice, my school days, and just the rest of my life I find that this happens all too often.  I get myself all worked up because I think I don’t want to do something or that it is going to be just awful.  And nine times out of ten, it just isn’t that bad.  I just have to get over my fears - I’m holding myself back.  It’s definitely hard though, to give up the stressful feelings that you get about all of the situations in life.  But usually things are not nearly as bad as we expect they are going to be.