Climbing past worry…

”Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.” Charles Schultz

Good morning! This quote by Snoopy Creator, Charles Schultz brings home two important points: (1) How quickly a day goes by and (2) How unhelpful it is to spend time worrying.

Worrying doesn’t feel good, it makes people anxious and stress-filled. So why do people worry? Worrying, like many negative emotion is a defense mechanism. We worry to protect ourselves from “what might happen.” We worry in order to avoid taking “the next step.” However, like many defense mechanisms, “worry” doesn’t protect us, instead it creates a wall that blocks off possibility. Worry invites us to be immobile, to stay still, and to wait “for a better time.”

Life isn’t lived behind a wall. Life is lived out in the wide-open when we take chances and chase down dreams. When we use worry as a wall in our world, we not only block out our fear of “what might happen,” but we also block out the good.

Studies have shown ninety-eight percent of what we worry about never happens. If we spend our time worrying we lose valuable time that could be spend on what we do want to happen in our lives.

Your Turn:
Where have you been using worry to hide from life? Take a step toward knocking down the wall of worry by choosing one area not to worry about. Direct your thoughts toward possibilities instead of limits. Break down the wall that worry builds to see how wonderful opportunity is on the other side.

Your Affirmation:

I climb over worry and into joy.


Comments

Climbing past worry… — 3 Comments

  1. Thanks for this. It’s 1:45 am and I’m up worrying about the future. Fear is such torment.

  2. What do I worry about?
    That is an easy one to answer. Since I had to retire last May after teaching elementary school for 26 years, it has been a very hard road for me. I quit teaching because my health was falling apart. I was fighting a losing battle against Sjogren’s Syndrome and a rare, spinal disease, Cervical Adhesive Arachnoiditis. And to top all of this off, I had a stroke at about the same time that I retired and did not know it. Nothing to worry about, huh?

    Worry #1 – Sjogren’s is a disease that attacks your joints and can basically destroy any part of your body that relates to moisture. This can be organs, joints, tissue, etc. Why me? Why me? Why me?

    Worry #2 – My spinal disease is not only very, very painful, but the place where mine is located in the neck, could cause instant paralysis or death. I constantly think – What if I fall? What if someone falls on me? What if I have a wreck? What if? What if?? What if???

    Worry #3 – If a person has one stroke, they have a much higher likelihood of having another one at some point. I don’t want to leave my children when they are just becoming young adults. I want to see them living the life that I have shaped them for all these years. I want to see them married. I want to have grandchildren to play with and spoil. I want. I want. I want.

    Now that I am beginning to recuperate from the stroke and have learned to control my Sjogren’s, as well as it can be controlled, and have a pretty good hold on the level of my pain, I know that it is time to begin living again. I am scared. I have been a teacher all my life. What else can I do? I am not able to work full time, but I want to feel as if I have an important part in this world. I made my name as a teacher and now I must make another name. Not that of a disabled, retired teacher, but that of a person who contributes to life and others in a new way. Can I do this? Can I? Can I?

    Who me, worry???? Why should I worry?? I can’t because I plan to live again!! Wish me luck. Wish me success. Wish me …………..

  3. I know that I’m a little bit late with this one but this came at such a perfect time for me. DH suffered a stroke and had a 4 hour brain operation on 1/29. Since that time, I have worried about everything and anything. My friends have tried to convince me to take one day at a time but that hasn’t been possible for me. I’ll keep this good morning close to my heart. I’m creating a lot of stress that I don’t need in my life by creating solutions to problems that I don’t have and that I may never have. Bargainmom will be i my thoughts and prayers and I hope that anyone who reads this will keep my dear husband of 37 years and myself in their thoughts and prayers.

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