Now，why is Willis H.Carrier’s magic formula so valuable and so practical，psychologically speaking？Because it yanks us down out of the great grey clouds in which we fumble around when we are blinded by worry.It plants our feet good and solid on the earth.We know where we stand.And if we haven’t solid ground under us，how in creation can we ever hope to think anything through？
Professor William James，the father of applied psychology，has been dead for thirty-eight years.But if he were alive today，and could hear his formula for facing the worst，he would heartily approve it.How do I know that？Because he told his own students：
“Be willing to have it so ....Be willing to have it so，”he said，because “...Acceptance of what has happened is the first step in overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”
The same idea was expressed by Lin Yutang in his widely read book，The Importance of Living.“True peace of mind，”said this Chinese philosopher，“comes from accepting the worst.Psychologically，I think，it means a release of energy.”
That’s it，exactly！Psychologically，it means a new release of energy！When we have accepted the worst，we have nothing more to lose.And that automatically means-we have everything to gain！“After facing the worst，”Willis H.Carrier reported，“I immediately relaxed and felt a sense of peace that I hadn’t experienced in days.From that time on，I was able to think.”
Makes sense，doesn’t it？Yet millions of people have wrecked their lives in angry turmoil，because they refused to accept the worst；refused to try to improve upon it；refused to salvage what they could from the wreck.Instead of trying to reconstruct their fortunes，they engaged in a bitter and “violent contest with experience”—and ended up victims of that brooding fixation known as melancholia.
Would you like to see how someone else adopted Willis H.Carrier’s magic formula and applied it to his own problem？Well，here is one example，from a New York oil dealer who was a student in my classes.
“I was being blackmailed！”this student began.“I didn’t believe it was possible—I didn’t believe it could happen outside of the movies—but I was actually being blackmailed！What happened was this：
The oil company of which I was the head had a number of delivery trucks and a number of drivers.At that time，OPA regulations were strictly in force，and we were rationed on the amount of oil we could deliver to any one of our customers.I didn’t know it，but it seems that certain of our drivers had been delivering oil short to our regular customers，and then reselling the surplus to customers of their own.
“The first inkling I had of these illegitimate transactions was when a man who claimed to be a government inspector came to see me one day and demanded hush money.He had gotdocumentary proof of what our drivers had been doing，and he threatened to turn this proof over to the District Attorney’s office if I didn’t cough up.
“I knew，of course，that I had nothing to worry about—personally，at least.But I also knew that the law says a firm is responsible for the actions of its employees.What’s more，I knew that if the case came to court，and it was aired in the newspapers，the bad publicity would ruin my business.And I was proud of my business—it had been founded by my father twenty-four years before.
“I was so worried I was sick！I didn’t eat or sleep for three days and nights.I kept going around in crazy circles.Should I pay the money-five thousand dollars—or should I tell this man to go ahead and do his damnedest？Either way I tried to make up my mind，it ended in nightmare.
“Then，on Sunday night，I happened to pick up the booklet on How to Stop Worrying which I had been given in my Carnegie class in public speaking.I started to read it，and came across the story of Willis H.Carrier.‘Face the worst’，it said.So I asked myself：‘What is the worst that can happen if I refuse to pay up，and these blackmailers turn their records over to the District Attorney？’
“The answer to that was：The ruin of my business—that’s the worst that can happen.I can’t go to jail.All that can happen is that I shall be ruined by the publicity.’
“I then said to myself：‘All right，the business is ruined.I accept that mentally.What happens next？’
“Well，with my business ruined，I would probably have to look for a job.That wasn’t bad.I knew a lot about oil—there were several firms that might be glad to employ me....I began to feel better.The blue funk I had been in for three days and nightsbegan to lift a little.My emotions calmed down....And to my astonishment，I was able to think.
“I was clear-headed enough now to face Step III—improve on the worst.As I thought of solutions，an entirely new angle presented itself to me.If I told my attorney the whole situation，he might find a way out which I hadn’t thought of.I know it sounds stupid to say that this hadn’t even occurred to me before—but of course I hadn’t been thinking，I had only been worrying！I immediately made up my mind that I would see my attorney first thing in the morning-and then I went to bed and slept like a log！
“How did it end？Well，the next morning my lawyer told me to go and see the District Attorney and tell him the truth.I did precisely that.When I finished I was astonished to hear the D.A.say that this blackmail racket had been going on for months and that the man who claimed to be a ‘government agent’was a crook wanted by the police.What a relief to hear all this after I had tormented myself for three days and nights wondering whether I should hand over five thousand dollars to this professional swindler！
“This experience taught me a lasting lesson.Now，whenever I face a pressing problem that threatens to worry me，I give it what I call ‘the old Willis H.Carrier formula’.”