What Are You Worried About?

The dictionary defines worry as 'To feel uneasy or concerned about something; to be troubled'.  Are you uneasy, or troubled about something?  

The Sunlight Of the Spirit web sight gives the following statistics about worrying:

    40% of the things you worry about will never happen, for anxiety is the result
             of a tired mind.
    30% concern old decisions which cannot be altered.
    12% center in criticisms, mostly untrue, made by people who feel inferior.
    10% is related to your health which worsens while you worry.
    08% is legitimate, showing that life does have real problems which may be
           met head on when you have eliminated senseless worries.

Only 8% of the things we worry about are real!  This gives credence to the Swedish proverb that says 'Worry gives a small thing a big shadow'.

So you worry a lot, is that a big deal?  Deepak Chopra says 'if we vividly imagine something we do not want to happen, it is almost certainly bound to happen.'

Chuck Swindoll says 'of all the joy stealers that can plague our lives, none is more nagging, more agitating, or more prevalent than worry'.

So what do you do to stop or reduce this habit?

In his book How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie sets out some rules for conquering the worry habit.

Rule # 1. Put all negative thoughts out of your mind. Be positive in every
                 thought you think, word you utter and deed you do.
Rule # 2. Use positive words such as "I can", "I will" and "I shall".
Rule # 3. Live one day at a time.

In addition, answer the following questions:

Question # 1. What am I worrying about? 
Question # 2. What can I do about it? 
Question # 3. What am I going to do about it? 
Question # 4. When am I going to start doing it?

Write your answers down and review them frequently.  This will help you focus on the real issue and the action you will take.

- Joe Freeman

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