I was recently reading an article published by my financial planner’s firm and it talks about an old saying on Wall Street that “the stock market climbs a wall of worry”. Anyone who even remotely watches the financial news knows that if Chairman so and so as much as sneezes wrong the Dow and NASDAQ can plunge and investors scurry around like deranged rats in a test lab. Our system and the markets are indeed a bit odd but that’s the way the economy rolls. Yet there are sound ways to not only make money over the long term but also be quiet and peaceful on the inside as you do so.

Consider this from The Financial Philosopher:

You’ve got to be in to win:

Remember that stepping out of the asset allocation suitable for you is nothing more than a foolish version of timing the market. Based on history, between 80% and 90% of the returns attributable to market performance comes from just 2% to 7% of the time in the market. If you jump out of stocks when the market is in a down trend then how do you know when to get back in? If you’re out of the market on those few “big days” as it resumes its march back up, your portfolio is doomed to under-performance. Time in the market is favorable to timing the market.

What that translates to is developing a strategy and sticking to it. The only way to stick to it when the media and financial publications frenzy about is to be calm within the storm. And, that starts from within. That can be hard. SleepyJane tells us first hand about that incessant worry:

I know it doesn’t make sense to worry about money. But I can’t help it. I don’t even want to be rich at this point I just want to make sure that all the bills are paid. I’m scared that everything is going to fall to pieces around me and I’ll be poor again. I hated going to the store when I was younger to buy bread with coins. Money is money but it’s so humiliating when you hold up a line because the cashier is counting your cents and rands. I think I was seven or eight. (It happened all the time but it was around that age when I started to get embarrassed about it.) Where was I? Oh yes, it’s not even that the business isn’t doing well I just worry. And my mother worries and unloads on me and I worry more.

It’s a vicious cycle. This doubt and worry can kill not only our financial returns but also our spirit and our health (and literally kill us!). Consider this information from Dr Charles Mayo that ewayman shares at her blog:

Americans take more pills to forget more worries about more things than ever before and more than people in any other nation in history. That’s bad. According to Dr. Charles Mayo, “Worry affects the circulation and the whole nervous system. I’ve never known a man who died from overwork, but I’ve known many who have died from doubt.” Doubt always creates worry, and in most cases, lack of information raises the doubt.

Life is much like Christmas. You’re more apt to get what you expect than what you want.

Mathematically speaking, it really doesn’t make sense to worry. Psychologists and other researchers tell us that roughly 40 percent of what we worry about will never happen and 30 percent has already happened. Additionally, 12 percent of our worries are over unfounded health concerns. Another 10 percent of our worries involve the daily miscellaneous fretting that accomplishes nothing. That leaves only 8 percent. Plainly speaking, Americans are worrying 92 percent of the time for no good reason, and if Dr. Mayo is right, it’s killing us.

So how can you quiet the worry? By focusing your energy and efforts on what you can impact. You can’t predict the activity of the markets. You can’t control what the Federal Reserve does with interest rates. You can’t affect the currency exchange rate. So, don’t worry about it! I know that sounds easier said than done, but worrying about it just gives more energy toward what you don’t want instead of what you do want. And, it drives you insane in the process.

The bottom line with worry though is that it is just a choice. Only a choice. Where your thoughts go is where your energy goes. You get to consciously choose your thoughts. As Dr. Kelly notes in “Letting Go of Excessive Worry”:

Nothing is ever black or white. I learned a tremendous lesson that night. Now, whenever I catch myself worrying or feel backed into a corner due to a problem, I KNOW there’s another way to look at things. A more positive way. I seek out solutions and a more positive outlook rather than feeling that things are hopeless and that I have no control. As I’ve said before, thoughts are just thoughts and don’t have any real impact unless we give them the strength to change our lives–for the good or bad. Thoughts = Feelings = Action or Inaction!

As this relates purely to investing, finances, and money, it means picking a strategy with money sufficiently allocated and then staying the course. Sure you need to revisit your strategy and your investments periodically (say quarterly or semi-annually) but otherwise you just let it go. Focus on what you can control – your spending, saving, and enjoyment of today. The rest will take care of itself.

Paula Gregorowicz is the Comfortable in Your Own Skin(tm) Coach and you can learn more at her website www.thepaulagcompany.com and blog www.coaching4lesbians.com .