Worry, worry, worry …what does that get you?

Hello my fellow human Beings:

Do you find yourself worrying about this and that?

What does worrying get you?

If you worry about not having enough money, will you get more money? …….No

If you worry about your test results, will you get good results?  …..No

If you worry about struggles in your relationship, will your relationship improve? ….No

Worrying doesn’t get you much of anything, except perhaps some grey hairs and a few wrinkles.

So why do we waste our precious time worrying?

It’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately.

I’ve written before that I’m a hereditary worrywart.  Worrying seems to be engrained in my DNA, and even though I know it is unproductive, useless, and a time- and energy-waster, I still find myself worrying from time to time.

It seems like when my resistance is low and my guard is down – I’m tired, hungry, sick, stressed, over-worked, etc. – that my pesky ego takes my vulnerability as an opportunity to plant the seeds of worry in my mind.  Then, thoughts of “lack”, “not good enough”, “I’m not worthy”, and “I’m a failure” infiltrate my mind and ego stirs up fear in me.  If I’m not mindful, these negative thoughts generate an emotional reaction in me and then I feel like I’m living the worst-case scenario.

But wait, it’s not real!   It’s just a figment of my imagination caused by my ego’s voice in my head.  Yet, by focusing so much on the thing I am worried about, it feels real to me.

Robert Holden, Ph.D., is an author, consultant, coach and Director of The Happiness Project and Success Intelligence.  In his book, Happiness Now!, he reminds us that when we focus on the negative thoughts of lack and failure, we become blinded from our inner abundant truth.  He writes:

“What you focus on most often becomes familiar, and what is familiar feels real to you.  In our society, we focus on pain before joy, tears before laughter, and fear before love, so we gradually grow blind to our inner, ever-present potential for happiness.”

By focusing on the negative thoughts and images that we are worrying about – those unreal uncertainties – we forget about what is real, or we exaggerate what is real, and we increase our suffering.

What we focus on grows.  It’s part of the law of attraction.

So instead of focusing on what you don’t have, focus on what you do have.

Count your blessings.  Be grateful for at least three things in your life each day.  Keep a gratitude journal.  (Writing things down helps to reinforce the message.)

This change in focus can really change your perspective and take you out of a negative funk and remind you of the abundance in your life.

Metaphysical lecturer, teacher and author, Louise Hay, writes in her book, Meditations to Heal Your Life:

“My consciousness determines my perspective. … I rejoice out loud when I see abundance, and I mentally make room for it to come into my life.  Being grateful for what I have helps to increase it.  This also works with talents and abilities and good health.  I recognize prosperity everywhere and rejoice in it!”

So the next time you find yourself worrying, remember to PAUSE, be still, BREATHE, be grateful for the blessings in your life, connect to your still inner essence – the place where abundance generates from.  In doing so, you will refocus your perspective away from “have-not” to “have”, you will decrease your suffering,  and you will live more abundantly.