Among the host of negative emotions that drain our energy is one that you would do well to become aware of and drain out of your life. As I was listening to an audio recording of Earl Nightingale this morning, he reminded me that if we could see all our “problems” in their true light, we would not be blinded by them. That’s the biggest waste of energy in our lives, worry.
A worry is a state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems. The keys in that definition are “actual” or “potential.” Are you anxious or uncertain about something that already happened or something that you are afraid will happen. If it has not yet happened, why consider its possibility? If it has already happened, should you be worried about something you can do something about? No, because you can just go ahead and do what you can do about it. Should you be worried about something you can do nothing about? No, because there is nothing you can do about it anyway.
As per Earl Nightingale’s account, of all the things we worry about:
- 40% never happen.
- 30% are over or in the past and nothing can be done about it anyway.
- 12% are about our state of health (hypochondriacal).
- 10% are just petty and needless worries.
- 8% are legitimate concerns we can do something about.
A whopping 92% of all our worries are complete waste of energy. Of 10 thoughts or concerns we have, just about 1 is justifiable. How do you find out that 1 out of the 10? You assume the best always, and for the thing that really might be frightening, put them in perspective. How do you put things and situation in perspective?
You ask yourself the following questions in that order:
- Is this something that should have my full attention? If yes, why?
- Will this matter situation matter in a few hours, days, weeks, or years?
- What can I do (if anything) to change this situation?
- If I can’t do anything or I choose to do nothing, what are the consequences I have to face and am I okay with that?
Worrying makes everything look worse than it is. Put things in perspective. Face all the unpleasant or difficult situations that present themselves in your life with grace and serenity. Always believe that ultimately, things will workout to your advantage, and they will.