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What do I worry about; in what way am I praying too hard for what I don’t really want?
I can understand the logic that people when they worry actually manifest that worry stronger in their lives because that is where they fixate their consciousness. Reiki’s first principle to recite in the morning is “Just for today I will not worry” and the practice of the 5 Reiki principles has been a very useful practice for me so far. Stoicism also taught me to focus on what is within my control. Again another very simple idea but also a very powerful one to work with. These practices trained my mind not to focus for too long on the worries I have nor to allow them to steal my daily vitality to live life fully. Of course a person must take some issues seriously and it is not good to be like an ostritch with its head in the sand. Action must be taken when the time is right. But to worry has not solved any problem and will not solve any problem. I have long argued that the opposite side of tension is creativity. Worry and anxiety robs us of our creativity. When we focus our attention not to worry but to become creative then a whole set of new possibilities opens up for us to work with.
My greatest worry point is whenever I have some debt that must be paid. As long as I can avoid being in debt I have very few worries. This might result in me attaching to a scarcity attitude or a risk adverse attitude when it come to managing money. I am less willing to take a risk to achieve something when money is limited or seen as a big amount of money.
The other money related worry is that if I do survive beyond a functional phase of life where I can no longer generate an income. Will I be able to survive? This might even be due to my overall money management skills. This worry has shortened my life expectancy and has a negative impact on my long term planning. I live maybe sometimes too much in the now and disengage from the virtue of being prudent in my actions by making provision for a future of no earnings.
The last worry I have already blogged about is my worry to leave a meaningful legacy to humanity when I die. It seems to be a question many men, in particular, ask when they hit their mid life. I have always wondered if I will be able to leave a legacy that is meaningful. How long will my life have a positive resonance after I died and how many people will I have effected positively…that is the question. The positive of this worry is that I have engineered my life to expand in several areas and I continually seek leadership positions where I can make a difference. But an honest look at my life reveal a mundane and almost insignificant impact of my life on the life of others. The negative effect is that I am often overly critical of myself and I am often not acknowledging my own value in the process.
We need to be aware of the thinking that consumes our cognitive capacity. It is easy to be so obsessed with an idea that we that we waste much energy and time that can never be recovered. The key is to be aware not just of the things we tend to worry about but also to develop strategies to deal with those worries and an understanding of the negative impact some of those worries can have on our lives.
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