Everyday Inspiration: Why Are We So Worried?
Dear Magnificent Worriers,
Everyone is so worried. Worried we’re not going to make it, worried we won’t be happy and neither will our kids. Worried we can’t do it right and worried that somehow we are not right.
WE have a whole list of requirements in order to feel okay and WE think, that if we worry enough, we may get a better grip on what’s bothering us and ultimately feel more in control, We are so wrapped up in worrying that we’re not even present in the life we want to live so desperately.
But what if we are addicted to the worrying? Addicted to that feeling of panic that we are not ready or that we are going to do something wrong or that we didn’t do enough or actually did too much. So in order to cope, we get into a dizzying cycle of torture that keeps us forever at a fever pitch. Stuck in our thoughts, unable to really know how to navigate towards the peace and fulfillment that we crave from life.
Looking at the causes of your worrying can free yourself of this bondage once and for all. One issue is fear. Fear is a Faith issue: Faith in the future, Faith in yourself, Faith in the Greater good. You feel that the more you worry, the more you will gain control over situations to the point that Faith is no longer necessary.
Trust in the big picture. All your worries are illusions that you literally create out of the thoughts in your mind. They aren’t Real. You make them real and simply react to them as if they were.
“Worrying is using your imagination to create something you don’t want.” – Esther Hicks
You project thoughts like “I bet they are going to cancel on me!” into the future, ruining the Present and causing needless amounts of suffering. We spend too much of our lives worrying about things that never come about. This is insanity. Our minds are out of control with worry, dread, and fear with these things that never happen. It’s an illusion to think the more you hang onto this train of thought, the more likely you are to arrive at a solution. The result will be misery on an already taxed nervous system.
“I’ve had a long life and have seen hard times. Yet, I have spent much of my life worrying about things that never happened.” – Mark Twain
Why must we cause ourselves so much grief, when all we wanted to do was to enjoy our life and the people in it? The answer lies inside, in our perspective. Our way of looking at things can cause our whole lives to change. Only you can control the meaning you place on things and your interpretation.
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll
So whatever the outcome is, it’s up to you how you react towards it. Whether it’s acceptance or rejection, it’s up to you. YOU have to decide you are going to be okay, NO MATTER WHAT.
There has never been a straight line to get to where you want to be. We are all sailboats designed for courses beyond our imagination. Most of us keep our sails down, afraid of the direction the wind might take us, thinking we may never find the right way back to safety. That’s the problem. There is nothing outside of you that can guarantee your safety. This keeps you stuck, keeps you reaching for that next thought, idea or word that will guarantee a sure-fire way to a sure thing. Like an addiction, this way of being keeps you on a perpetual cycle that never ends.
All paths deviate. Course correction is part of life and part of the fun. If only we see it that way. The way we see it now is through the eye of fear and this keeps us stuck. Feeling out of control every time we get blown off course, landing in new territory.
“Twenty years from now you will more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
Guess what? You can’t get it wrong. You can’t mess anything up. You have everything you need inside you.
Remember Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz? She kept her scary journey going to search for the powerful wizard to find the way home because she thought that it was the only way. Only to be told by Glenda, the Good Witch that she had the power inside herself all along.
We are usually too busy focusing on what we think we don’t have that we stay on the yellow brick road for too long and we end being tortured by the Wicked Witch of the West and her monkeys, symbolized by our own mind!!
Worrying is a byproduct of constantly focusing on what is not there and thus producing negative thoughts about it. Worrying is thinking there is something wrong or missing with the moment. “I have to get this promotion or else!!”
Or else what? Life might have bigger plans in store for you. Have you ever considered that? If you are consistently putting your energy into what you do Not have, all you will produce is more “do not have” energy in your life. Compound this over time and you will convince yourself that you have a life of lack
Most of us long to live successful, fulfilled, happy lives. The way to make a change towards this instantly is to focus on what you DO have in this moment. Try to actually see what’s in front of you right now. Instead of focusing on the negative thoughts that can lead you astray, why don’t you choose to get caught up with what you Do have at the moment. Instead of judging it as a situation gone wrong, can you try to see it as a diversion on the road to somewhere different? You are alive. You are Awake. This change alone will alter your mindset into believing one of “I Have”, which is a life of abundance.
It is an old cliché but gratitude works. My yoga teacher would hear the whole class moaning and groaning as they tried to stretch into their poses. She used to tell us, focus on what you CAN do, not what you can’t. The same is true in life. What got you to this moment? Obviously you are farther than you were six months ago. Perhaps there is something you know now or needed to develop to continue. Maybe you have awhile to go. Realize that YOU have to focus on what you have actually accomplished, instead of what is lacking.
“Nothing binds you except your thoughts. Nothing limits you except your fears. Nothing controls you except your beliefs.” – Marianne Williamson
We all have the most valuable thing to come back to in the end, namely ourselves, if only we just Knew it, Believed it, and had Faith in it.
You had it in you all along.
The most important reason you are here is to Find You. When you do, you can finally stop worrying and start enjoying life. It’s right there in front of you.
Now, can someone please tell me where I can get a pair of those sparkly red shoes?
Are you ready?
As you take each step I will be there reminding you of your Magnificence, and I will continue to do so, until you are able to see it in yourself. © Copyright. Jennifer Annenberg Productions. 2013. All Rights Reserved. This publication may not be reproduced under any circumstances without the written consent of Jennifer Annenberg.
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