What keeps you up at night?

The unpaid invoice to your biggest vendor? The grinding sound when Truck 1 changes gears?

Switch gears yourself and put on your “home” hat. Does your credit card statement keep you up at night? Your son’s grades? The leaky faucet?

Ms. Jones is probably up at 3:00 am, too. She’s got all the same fears as you, at her work and in her home.

Don’t be surprised or insulted that you yourself are probably the basis of some of her fears. She worries that she made the right decision, that she paid a fair price. She worries that it won’t look good, that her mother-in-law will make a scathing remark about it or her friends won’t oooh and aaah over it. She’s afraid she spent a whole lot of time and money on something she’s going to regret.

How do you calm Ms. Jones’ fears? Do you let her talk about her night terrors, or do you foo-foo her phobias with platitudes and attitudes?

Are you her bogeyman or her sandman? Should she be afraid of you?