Study after study has proven it to be the absolute truth…that worry, in and of itself, accomplishes nothing of any significant value or benefit to the individual person who is doing the worrying. In other words, worry does no good to anyone who is worrying. Said a different way,…worry is a total waste of time and resources…So why are you worrying and wasting your valuable resources?
Worry is easy to do. Worry brings temporary relief from the anxiety caused within the mind of an individual who has no answers or solutions to the immediate needs of the moment. Worry makes a person feel somewhat comforted in their own situations because it tricks the worrier into thinking that he or she is actually doing something positive towards solving their own problems. However, as well intended as these reasons for worry are,…they still do nothing of value as regards the effective solution to an individual’s challenges or problems.
Worry paralyzes all productive work efforts. It causes a cessation of positive and valuable production of goods, services, ideas, and performance.
Wise men and women, even though they may know better than to worry, all too easily allow themselves to slip back into the “worry position.” Worry can be and often is an escape route. A worrier can ply his own “worry efforts” from any position in which he finds himself….standing, sitting, jogging, walking, lying down, wide awake, or even half asleep. As long as a person is in their worry mode, they can and do make the easy excuse that they are actually doing something productive about solving their troubles. Worry is a great deceiver.
Worry, when left unresolved over a long period of time will make a person ill. Lack of self-confidence, mental anxiety, and insecurity are the worrier’s starting gate. Stress, mental and physical, are worry’s running mates. In the long run of things in a worrier’s life, fear, heart attack, nervous breakdown, and possible death are the consequences…all undesirable and unproductive,…wouldn’t you agree?
The well known and completely accepted cure for all fear and worry is action. Doing the very thing about which you are worried and fearful will drive out worry and fear every time. Action will always overcome fear.
That is a very clear and easy solution to the worrier’s condition. However, never forget the fact that the hardest thing to get a person to do on earth is to make an immediate and effective decision. That is specifically the very reason why there are so many worriers as compared to people who are secure and productive individuals. Most folks who suffer in this life are most usually those who cannot or will not make effective decisions.
Truth is the basis of developing, having, and exercising personal faith.
Faith and fear cannot co-exist. Faith will drive out fear every time.
Faith is an action word and it always carries along with it “works.” The personal exercise of faith always produces some sort of effective production or “works.”
“Works” are the finished product of the exercise of true faith.
The Bible tells us in the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, verses 1–3 ESV:
(1) “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the
conviction of things not seen.
(2) For by it, the people of old received their commendation.
(3) By faith we understand that the universe was created by the
Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of
things that are visible.”
You, the reader or listener, would do yourself well to take the time right here and now to read the entire 11th chapter of the Book of Hebrews. You will soon discover for yourself that all the really great and significant achievements and performances of the historical past of mankind’s existence on this earth were all accomplished through the personal exercise of faith and belief in things yet unseen. If it worked for others, it will also work for you!
Action cures fear….always has, and always will.
A human being will always and only go in the direction of and to the activity on which his or her own mind is continually focused. Thought is the predecessor to all speech and active performance. So specific thought is required to cause a human being to act on that about which he is thinking.
The sad truth is that all too many people cannot or will not slow down their own pace of life to give themselves a chance to think!
Although it is true that you will get to where you are going quicker if you are traveling fast, it doesn’t really make much difference if you do not know: (1) where you are going or (2) for what reason you are traveling so fast.
Author and businessman, Napoleon Hill, wrote a best selling book shortly after the turn of 20th century about how to effectively accomplish personal success and prosperity. The book remains on sale to this day. The book was entitled, “Think and Grow Rich.” Mr. Hill was often asked what the real secret to achieving personal success was as contained within the pages of his book. His response was always the same…“It is in the title!”
God gave us all a brain at the instant of our conception. What you do in developing that precious gift is totally up to you. God gave you full and total control of all of your thoughts, decisions, and use of your own mind. Don’t waste any of it on illegal, unproductive, or ungodly activities.
God gave you the great and precious gift of life. What you do with it as you live is your gift back to God. Please make it a good and wonderful return gift to your Creator.
Now, if you are reading and/or listening to this discussion and disagree with anything I have said, and feel that you must still be a “worry-wort,” that is O.K. You have the right to waste your own life and continue to worry and fret about anybody or anything you so desire. Just keep in mind that the time clock of life keeps ticking no matter what you think, do, or say,…and that you only have so many pre-numbered days on this earth in which to live and produce your own happiness and peace of mind. The truth is that the more time you spend worrying, the more of your allotted hours on earth are wasted. The older you get the more valuable your time becomes.
So, if you refuse to change your ways and desire to keep wasting time, then please permit me to pass on to you some age-old time-tested sage advice as concerns worry:
Start a personal hand written list every Tuesday morning as soon as you arise. Keep track of the things you feel you should be worrying about (write them down on your list) every day as things come up in your life. Now don’t think or worry about any of these listed things at the time they arise, just write them down on your list. Keep the list current as new things come up in your life during the course of the ensuing week.. Do not think or worry about any of the listed items for even a minute.
Then pick an empty room somewhere in your home or your office that you can be assured to be all alone and uninterrupted. At precisely 4:00 PM on Monday afternoon, go to your isolated room. Pull out a hard-backed straight chair. Place it in the center of the empty room. Pull out your list of things that you should have been worrying about over the past week. Sit down in the chair, and give yourself precisely 15 minutes to worry about each and every item on your entire list. Start “worrying-up-a-storm” about each item. As you finish worrying about each item cross it off your list. This entire process must be limited to only 15 minutes.
Upon completion of your “worry period,” tear up your list and discard it. Then go home….relax…and count your blessings in life. Then upon arising the following Tuesday morning, start a new list and repeat the entire process over.
Using this proven technique, your life will immediately begin to get easier to live as your anxiety and stress levels will quickly begin to lessen.
Fact:
About 95 % of the things a person worries about in their lives, never
happen.
About 3% of the things a person worries about in their lives that do
happen result in a positive outcome.
About 2% of the things a person worries about in their lives that do
happen are almost always resolved to a beneficial or acceptable level of
consequence.
Worry is a waste of valuable time and resource. Dale Carnegie had it right when he penned his famous book: “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.” I highly recommend you get a copy of his book and read it!
Peace and Love to All of You………………..Poppa Bear