”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.