WHAT-- YOU WORRY?

"Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength."

Charles Spurgeon, 19th century British preacher.

There are things which may happen tomorrow that you should worry about today.

But only worrying, not taking action to eliminate what you're worrying about, doesn't help.

THE VALUE OF WORRY

"A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work."

John Lubbock, 19th century English banker/philanthropist

This says much about the value of worry.

There isn't any.

You may not eliminate it but do all you can to minimize it.

SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength."

Corrie Ten Boom, 20th century author

This suggests we should just put worry aside and deal with problems as they arise.

I wish it were that simple.

But we can reduce, if not eliminate, much of what we do worry about.

It's well worth the effort.

EASY TO SAY, DIFFICULT TO DO

"Happy is the man who has broken the chains which hurt the mind, and has given up worrying once and for all."

Ovid (BC 43-AD 18) Roman poet.

Not sure what Ovid had to worry about but whatever it was it couldn't have been much.

If it had he'd have known his advice is easy to give, very difficult to follow.

Difficult, not impossible.

You can manage what you choose to worry about, how you manage your fears.

And the more you do the better at doing it you become.

PROBLEMS OF THE NIGHT

"The longest day soon comes to an end."

Proverb

We shouldn't but do carry our problems into the night.

The older I get the more capable I am of putting aside my concerns, at least for awhile.

The younger you learn to do that the sooner you will find solutions.

SUSPICIOUS WORRY

"Suspicion is most often useless pain."

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) British author.

Being suspicious, even confirming our suspicions, is not enough.

There must be a plan to make something good come from having addressed whatever they are, which includes, simply not being suspicious any longer.

I WORRY ABOUT THAT

"When we have nothing to worry about we are not doing much, and not doing much may supply us with plenty of future worries."

Chinese proverb

For most of us, most of the time, the problem is not having nothing to worry about but rather too much.

Or at least so we think.

Take away that not worth worrying about and the list grows considerably shorter.

THE TRICK IS KNOWING WHICH IS WHICH

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Late 18th/early 19th century German poet/novelist/dramatist

For most of us most of the time what we worry about does matter least.

Are Things Really That Bad!

"Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbors."

Rudyard Kipling 

Late 19th/early 20th century British writer

Did you ever work for a manager who was unnecessarily pessimistic?

Don't be that manager.

That Worries Me!

"I am an old man and have known many troubles, most of which never happened."

Mark Twain

19th century American humorist/author

Talk about business wisdom.

He's telling us that most of what we worry about never amounts to much.

Now I'm worried about what I'm not worried about.

Worried?

"Don't tell me that worry doesn't do any good; I know better.  The things I worry about don't happen."

Unknown

When worry leads to thoughtful, purposeful action, I believe it can do good.

But worry for worry sake?

No

Ok, Now I'm Worried!

"Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety."

Plato

4th century BC Greek philosopher

We'll need to parse this one a bit.

I can think of countless things in both my professional and personal lives where (as it turned out) I had been unnecessarily overly anxious.

Some but not all of that could have been avoided and the trick is to decide what is and is not "worthy of great anxiety".

But maybe Plato was the smart guy we all think he was and was just observing that great anxiety is rarely worth the effort, while at the same time understanding it is also too often unavoidable.

Not knowing if that was true makes me very anxious.

When You Look Over Your Shoulder, What Do You See?

"Clear conscience never fears midnight knocking."

Chinese proverb

Have you ever "cut corners" not to mention knowingly done things you knew were wrong, possibly illegal, in your business dealings?

Let me go first; I have.

If you felt bad for having done so (I did) you know what this is about.

It's just not worth it.

What Have You Done Lately?

"When we have nothing to worry about we are not doing much, and not doing much may supply us with plenty of future worries."

Chinese proverb

I can think of two reasons you might not being doing much.

1. You're too tired.
2. You see no reason to be doing something.

The first is ok as long as you start doing something once rested.

The second and you're on your way to plenty of future worries.

Stressed Out!

"Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency."

Natalie Goldberg
Author

Good thought.

Now, how to stay as stress free as possible? That's the hard part.

How do you handle stress? How do you determine what is and is not worth worrying about?

The Price of Worry

"We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies."

Etty Hillesum
Jewish Thinker/Writer
Died November 30, 1943, Auschwitz

That we all worry is no revelation, nor is saying that worrying, needlessly or otherwise, affects our performance.

The goal should not be to not worry but to only worry about what is important, about things over which we can exert some control.

So easy to say, so difficult to do.

How does worry affect your business life and what, if anything, do you do to control the negative affects of worry?

Attitude: What Do You Worry About?

"If you can solve a problem then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, what is the use of worrying?"

Shantideva
8th Century Indian Buddhist Scholar

Notice the subtle difference between "needing" to worry and the "use" or result of having done so.

Maybe it's the word itself that carries negative baggage. To me "worrying" suggests wasted energy, probably a lack of action, possibly weakness, none of which I associate with good management.

But if I substitute something like "thoughtful contemplation", the picture changes dramatically.

Do you "worry", "thoughtfully contemplate" or something similar and how does that affect your business judgment?

Problem Solving: Deal With What You Can

"It makes no sense to worry about things you have no control over because there's nothing you can do about them, and why worry about things you do control? The activity of worrying keeps you immobilized."

Dr. Wayne Dyer
Self Help Motivational Speaker/Author

I'm OK with the first part but not the second. Or maybe I would amend it to say don't worry but do act. For what you can control take the classic three problem solving steps:

1. Define the problem
2. Develop a solution
3. Put the solution in place.
   

I worry when I know I could do something but haven't. When I do act I worry far less regardless of whether or not my actions ultimately solve the problem.