When the IRS Comes Knocking!

Terrie Ten Eyck, Founder

As best as you can, imagine yourself in these situations ...

1. You prepare to leave work when your boss directs you to stop by his office.  What is the first thing you feel?
   
   
2. Driving home, red lights suddenly flash in your rearview mirror as the police pull in behind you.  What is your first thought?
   
   
3. You open a notice from the Internal Revenue Service indicating a scheduled audit of your previous year's taxes.  Where in your body are you experiencing your primary feeling?

How did you respond to these three situations?  Chances are your first thoughts and feelings were about being in trouble with the boss, the cops and the IRS.  If this is true, then you probably felt fear - specifically, the fear of being wrong.

If we're wrong with the boss, we fear losing our job and financial security.  Being wrong with the law could lead to losing our license and freedom.  Being wrong with the IRS? Well, bankruptcy and metal bars come to mind!

I was recently informed of an IRS audit of my business.  People I knew responded with, "Are you worried?"  "Aren't you afraid you'll get fined?"  "They're tricky, you know.  Don't tell them anything they don't ask for."  I was struck by these responses, because I wasn't feeling fearful, nor was I talking about being fearful.  I felt assured I had moral and accurate accounting practices.  But more importantly, I believe non-dangerous worry to be a waste of my energy.  What if I'd chosen to worry for the month prior to the audit?  What a waste - physically (negative effect on health,) mentally (all consuming,) emotionally (take out my stress on others) and spiritually (lack of faith and trust.)

Truly, upon reading the notice I thought, "What a nuisance!"  My next thought was, "It is what it is, and it ain't anything more!" To this others would say, "Yea, but they can make trouble out of nothing!  You better not be so sure!"  People that knew about it sounded paranoid, worried, and certain that the worst would come true!

So why do we fear the worst?  Because we’ve heard stories…horror stories!  We make others' negative past experiences our future outcomes.  We’re really good at making stuff up based on our outdated or faulty belief systems.  We don’t often think about the validity of our thinking, because we’re too busy feeling … Fear!  IRS agents – along with cops and bosses - are people, too!  When we allow ourselves to be hijacked by fear, we forget to translate a "process" into a human being conducting a process.

While I looked forward to having my audit finished, I "made up" that a human being - not an auditor - would conduct the process.  I focused on the human factor, not the symbol of power.  Well, my audit went great!  So did I create that outcome through my thoughts or was it luck that a caring human being conducted the process?  I only know that I chose something other than fear, because I am fully conscious and aware of my choice in it.

So what did you choose to think and feel in the three situations above?  If you chose a negative outcome and fear, choose again.  Why?  Because the next time the boss calls, the lights flash, or the IRS knocks, you can choose differently!  Your body, mind, heart and soul will thank you for it.

Terrie Ten Eyck has held senior leadership positions as a Director of Communications, a Total Quality Manager, and a Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In 1993, she founded Intellectual Architects, Ltd., an integral learning systems and consulting firm providing expertise in the areas of Cultural and Organizational Transformation, Leadership, and Human Development.