If you plan on taking on any challenge in life you'll need to learn how to become a master of removing anxiety. This is one of the single most important steps in order to achieve personal peak performance. Top athletes and performers the world round have the ability to make the biggest challenges seem trivial. How do they do this?? By removing the anxiety associated with the challenge.

This may seem like a simple task, but it is one of the most overlooked steps to achieving peak performance and is one of the factors that separates champions from participants.

The real question is how do we remove anxiety?

This is simple. Break down any task that you have into small parts. For example, if I told you to climb Mount Everest you would probably consider that challenge as something next to impossible, especially if you looked at the task as a whole. The trick is too look at any challenge in small parts. For example, instead of focusing on the peak of the mountain, concentrate on the path leading to the mountain. From here you work your way up to the base camp. Challenges increase as you move closer to the peak, but as you move forward your confidence will grow and so will your experience in dealing with the challenges you will face.

There may be set backs along the way, but as long as you keep moving forward you'll eventually make your way to the top.

Preparation is the key to removing anxiety and in the example of climbing Mount Everest, all you would have to do is plan your expedition properly. Careful planning goes a long way to removing anxiety and building confidence. Packing your equipment properly will prepare you for all challenges. Hiring the right guides will allow you to avoid the hazards and pitfalls that others may have taken in the past. Training in advance of your accent will allow you to rely on your conditioning in order to reach the summit.

In the end, no matter what the sport or challenge you need to look at all the different ways that you can remove anxiety from the challenge at hand and you will achieve a higher level of performance.

Here are 4 simple suggestions to help you remove anxiety when tackling challenges that you may face:

1. If you need equipment make sure your bags are packed neatly and in a specific way so you can find what you need when you need it.
2. Make a checklist in advance and make sure you use it. A checklist that isn't refered to is useless.
3. Arrive early! This gives you the time to make last minute changes if needed.
4. Develop contigency plans to ensure you've covered all the possible scenarios you may face

The ultimate key to removing anxiety is planning. You have to take the time to stop and think about the challenges you will face. Once you create your plan...stick to it! Take a deep breath...relax...and be patient. The results you want will come if you're willing to do what is necessary to achieve them!

John McMahon