Don’t Worry. Be Happy
It has been an interesting time for the past twelve or so weeks. I have been sick, had a lingering cough, had a good relative, good friend and another friend die and then it was Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s. Thanksgiving was missed entirely, I spent the weekend before Christmas with a friend at the ER and hospital and the following weekend at the hospital for the two days before New Year’s with another friend. It all sounds rather dire and upsetting, but I found joy and peace and friendship and love during those three months. Life did not match my pictures, but the snapshots I have in my mind to remember it all are in focus and good. My time has been spent reading and contemplating life. Delving deeper into my purpose and future. The other day, this meditation from “We Are All In This Alone,” came up and it resonated with me. One of the things my husband always told me is that worry is a waste of time. It changes nothing and keeps us out of the action of living. Enjoy.
WORRY
How much time do you spend on worry? How much time on being concerned about the outcome of events? Think of the last time you were worried about something. Did the worry change the outcome? Now sometimes when you worry, you concentrate the energy and for some it allows better focus. So we could say to some a “little bit” of worry is not such a bad thing, but when it is taken to its Nth degree and is a constant state, it ceases to have a useful purpose.
Now let us think about worry again. Are you worried about something now? What is it? Think about it for a moment and roll it around in your mind. Is it something in which you can affect an outcome? Are you in control of the outcome? Is the worry really based in reality? Are you worrying about more than one thing? Now quickly make a list of ALL the things that are worrying you right now. Take a few minutes to make the list and then a few more to analyze the list. Now eliminate all the things over which you have no control. How many things are left on the list? Now take a few more minutes to analyze the remaining areas of concern. Be very honest with yourself. Do you truly control the remaining items or are some of them also not truly in your control. Now some of you will argue that you can control “some of the outcome” but we want you to be honest. Now with that “final” list, lets us begin to make an action plan for each worry. Take worry number one and begin to write down all the positive and empowering steps you can make toward the goal of removing this worry. Make them based in fact and reality. The actions you put down must be within your power and control. If it is money, the action must be how you can make more money or how you can save money in day-to-day living. It cannot be “win the lottery” for while this is a very helpful way to pay off big debts your chances are small that this will occur. Do you understand what we are saying? We are not telling you to put down big wishes and dreams, we are telling you to put down simple, daily actions that can move you out of worry and into action.
Worry is very destructive. It takes you out of the moment of life, out of reality really and puts you into a world of chaos and hopelessness. It is very hard to create from hopelessness and chaos. It is much easier to create from a place of action and steadiness. Worrying takes your mind away from the NOW, from the moment, from the present and puts you into the past and the future and in chaos. Live in the NOW and be mindful of your actions and you will begin to find that worrying is not productive. The “little bit of worry” from the beginning of this meditation can become “a little bit of creation” or a bit of problem solving as you do this exercise and live the principle. Worry occurs when you feel out of control and at effect of others actions. So practice this exercise somewhat regularly for a few weeks and see if you can begin to get worry on the run and possibility in living.
We leave you in hope and love.
Namaste
