Worry Depletes Energy The third category of fear is plain old worry. It’s most pervasive form of fear, and it saps your time and your energy. Worry is pointless and counterproductive. It leeches time and energy away from achieving your goals.

But how do you stop? The key to overcoming worry is to learn new patterns. When you find yourself beginning to worry, pay attention to physical symptoms that accompany that reaction. Notice what kind of thoughts you have as you begin to worry. Switch your thinking to present. Focus on what you are doing right now, in present moment. Use this as a ritual to cut worry off and bring you back to a more positive frame of mind. Over time, as you grow more aware of signals your body is giving you, you’ll worry less and be more productive.

Playing with Your Coach Make a close assessment of one of your fears. Is it real, imagined or just plain worry?

•If your fear is real, then understand its source and create a plan to deal with it. •If your fear is imagined, analyze whether or not it is outcome-based. Assess risk of that outcome versus benefit of action you are afraid of. •Make a commitment for next month to practice dropping and/or ignoring most of your negative, fearful thoughts and worry. Gently but firmly push them away. As they return, push them away again. With a little practice you’ll find life is a lot more fun without them.

4- Be honest about who you are and what you are seeking - do not reveal more than you normally would in a face to face first meeting. If your online contact attempts to presure you into revealing more than you are comfortable with, re-evaluate his/her intentions.

5- Always review security and confidentiality policy of online dating service you are using. Many of better known online dating sites have very good privacy policies. A comprehensive listing of major online dating sites is available at http://www.cosmodating.com

6- Don't rush into a face to face meeting - take your time, chat up a storm and get to know each other. Is person on other end being honest, or do you get feeling they are just saying what you want to hear. You are sole judge and jury in this love trial - use your best judgement!

In conclusion, safety should be your #1 priority as you venture into world of online dating. Go slow, take your time to and get to know you potential dates. Like song says, "Only fools rush in" - taking your time will only increase your chances of meeting that special someone and at same time help weed out bad seeds!