Worry

Worry is useless. Next to useless, at least. Worrying about something that hasn’t happened and might not happen is simply creating heartache where none needs exist. Putting your energy into worrying is like tossing your money into a fire. It may make a pretty spark, but it doesn’t do a whole lot of good and it costs you quite a bit.

The only use that worry has is helping to pinpoint something that is bothering you. If you’re worried about how someone will behave at a party, then figure out why you’re worried about that. If you think that the person will behave poorly, why did you invite the person? Was it a sense of obligation? Did you feel you had to? Why didn’t you just not invite the person and see him/her some other time, some other place? If you’re worried about getting into a car accident, why? Focusing your energy on the possibility of a car accident takes it away from driving more safely. Don’t tell me that the worry helps to hone your observational skills, that you’re more cautious when you worry about getting into an accident. That’s being more cautious. You don’t have to worry in order to be more cautious. You can realize that an accident is a possibility and not worry. You don’t have to worry in order to make that realization.

There are two truly insidious things about worrying. The first is that it saps your energy from doing anything productive. If you’re worried about not having enough insurance in case of a fire, you won’t have enough energy to do something about it. Rather than worry, realize that it’s a possibility and then do something productive about it. Call your insurance agent. Re-read your insurance policy. Change insurance companies if you have to. Take out more insurance if you have to. Take steps to make your home or business more fire resistant. Get some fire extinguishers and train everyone how to use them. Get some smoke detectors and install them. There are so many things you can do about this issue, but when you worry about it, you feel like you’re doing something when really you’re just burning energy without any product. It’s like idling your car when you don’t have to – it burns the gas without getting you anywhere.

The second insidious thing about worry is that it’s contagious. And there are carriers of worry. I’ve had to eject a few negative people out of my life because their constant negativity and worrying sapped not only their energy but my own. Do you know one of these people? (and congratulations to you if you don’t!) You ask them how they’re doing, and they respond with a laundry list of grievances and worries that plague their life. How do you feel afterwards? Awful? Or at the very least less chipper or happy than you had been before you spoke with them? It takes a strong person to listen to someone complain and moan and not pick up some of the negativity, and not let it affect their mood. I’m getting stronger in that way, but I haven’t quite hit it yet.

When the world has less energy, there’s less energy to make the changes necessary. There are fewer people willing to do what needs to be done to give birth to The Future that can be. When someone tries to steal your energy with worry and negativity, don’t let them. Do what you can to prevent it. And most importantly, don’t let that someone be you. See what you’re worrying over, and see what you can do to make it better. And if you can’t do anything about it, then focus on something else. Let go of the things you can’t do anything about, as much as you can. Focus your energy on something that needs your time and attention. Make The Future better, and let worry become a thing of the past.