“Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday”, Dale Carnegie
Future is uncertain. Uncertainty causes anxiety. We worry that bad things will happen or good things will not happen. You worry that the exam is going to be very difficult and you will not get good grades. You worry that your business venture will fail and you will lose your entire investment. There is always something to worry about in the future. Due to uncertainty, you can always paint a negative and horrible outcome and then worry about it coming true. You can always invent new worries.
Is there any benefit to worrying. Will worrying make the exam easier or the business venture profitable? Will worrying solve any problem you will face in the future? Of course not. Worrying simply multiplies problems. The more you worry, the miserable you feel and consequently the less energy you have to do what should be doing. Instead of filling your mind with the knowledge you would need to pass the exam, you are filling it with every possible negative situation that can happen before, during, and after the exam. Instead of using your mind to solve business problems and seek profit making opportunities, you are using you mind to create hypothetical scenarios that could lead to catastrophic failure of the business. This not helping. It is making the situation worse. It is self-sabotage.
How to stop worrying? Don’t create negative scenarios for yourself. Maintain focus on what you need to do rather than what can go wrong. If you have difficulty keeping focus on what need to do. If your mind keeps wandering in the wrong direction. If you are unable to concentrate on what you need to concentrate on. Use this simple technique. Meditate. Many successful people meditate. I meditate every morning for 3 to 5 minutes. It is very easy.
- Relax
- Breathe
- Focusing on your breathing
- Focus on three main things you need to accomplish during the day. Think about what you need to do to accomplish those three goals.
- Then start your day.
Every time you start worrying about something, simply remind yourself that you have to complete your tasks right now and that you don’t have time to think about anything else right now. This discipline is difficult in the beginning but it will become second nature over time.
You should also investigate the source of your worries. Who is pouring toxic brew in your mind? Is it a loser friend who is always whining, complaining, and just radiates negativity. Distance yourself from that person. Minimize or eliminate time you spend with that person. Instead, associate with people who have a positive outlook in live.
A man lost his wife to cancer. He was in a state of grief and worried about how he will raise his 5 year old alone. His son kept pestering him to assemble a treehouse they bought a month ago. He was not in the mood. Finally he gave in and assembled the treehouse for his son. Suddenly he realized that the few hours he spent on the treehouse were the most blissful hours he had in weeks. The work distracted him from his grief and worries. It gave him a few hours of mental peace. Watching his son’s joy of playing in the treehouse gave him hope for the future. Focusing on work is the best cure for worries. When you are laser-focused on the work you are doing, your mind cannot distract you from the blissful work. The reward of the work accomplished will bring you joy.