Our life is what our thoughts make it.

Fundamental facts you should know about worry

Live in “Day-tight Compartments”

We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon, instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. The best possible way to prepare for tomorrow- Concentrate with all your intelligence, all your enthusiasm, on doing today’s work superbly today. Today is our most precious possession. It is our only sure possession.

It doesn’t mean you should not plan and prepare for your future. But, do not have anxiety. Good thinking deals with causes and effects and leads to logical, constructive planning; bad thinking frequently leads to tension and nervous breakdowns. Don’t get yourself crushed under the burden of accumulated yesterdays and fearful tomorrows.

Each morning say this to yourself- “Today is a new life”.

A magic formula for solving worrying situations

The worst feature of worrying is that it destroys your ability to concentrate. Due to the lack of concentration, you lose all the power of decision. So, use the anti-worry technique as under.

Anti-worry technique

Step 1- Analyse the situation fearlessly and honestly and figure out what is the worst that can possibly happen to you if you fail.

Step 2- Accept it, if necessary. When you force yourself to face the worst and accept it mentally then you eliminate all the vague imaginations and you are actually able to concentrate on your problem.

A Chinese philosopher said, “True peace of mind comes from accepting the worst”.

Step 3- Devote your time and energy to trying to improve upon the worst which you have already accepted mentally.

What worry may do to you

You can pay a heavy price for worry in terms of your health. Those who do not know how to fight worry die young. Fear causes worry. Worry makes you tense and nervous and affects the nerves of your stomach and actually changes the gastric juices of your stomach from normal to abnormal and often leads to stomach ulcers.

Too much worrying can give you stomach ulcers, heart disturbances, insomnia, headaches, paralysis, and what not. So, face the facts. Quit worrying and then do something about it.

Basic Techniques in analyzing worry

How to analyze and solve worry problems

We must equip ourselves to deal with different kinds of worries.

The three basic steps are-

Get the facts.
Analyze the facts.
Arrive at a decision. Then act on that decision without any dilly-dally.
Once you start executing what you have decided, dismiss absolutely all responsibility and care about the outcome.

Half the worry in the world is caused by the people trying to make decisions before they have sufficient knowledge on which to base a decision. If a man devotes his time to collating facts in an impartial, objective way, his worries will evaporate in the light of knowledge. It’s very important for people to keep their emotions out of their thinking. In other words, they must do rational thinking.

Remember- A problem well stated is a problem half solved. A major part of your problem will be solved if you write down your problems precisely.

How to eliminate 50% of your business worries

To eliminate 50% of your business worries, ask yourself these questions and try to answer them honestly-

What is the problem?
What is the cause of the problem?
What are all possible solutions to the problem?
What solution do you suggest?

How to break the worry habit before it breaks you

Crowd worry out of your mind

When we are not busy and sit idle, our minds tend to become a near-vacuum. Nature rushes in to fill the vacant mind with emotions of worry, fear, hate, jealousy, and envy. Such emotions are so violent that they tend to drive out of our minds all peaceful, happy thoughts and emotions and occupy the space.

Worry rides you ragged not when you are in action, but when the day’s work is done. Your imagination can run riot then and bring up all sorts of ridiculous possibilities and magnify each little blunder.

So, at such times, “occupational therapy” is the solution. Forget the unpleasant and get your mind completely occupied doing something constructive. It’ll soothe your nerves and the worry is gone.

You see, days spent without purpose end in disintegration. Get a purpose. Get busy. The worried person must lose himself in action, lest he withers in despair.

Don’t let the beetles get you down

You see, life is too short to be little. We often allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. We lose many irreplaceable hours brooding over grievances that, in a year’s time, will be forgotten by us and by everybody.

Let’s devote our life to worthwhile actions and feelings, to great thoughts, real affections, and enduring undertakings.

A law that will outlaw many of your worries

Examine the record. Ask yourself- what are the chances, according to the law of averages, that this event you are worrying about will ever occur.

The knowledge of this law will help you wipe out your jitters. You will feel better knowing the fact that you still have a chance. Not everything is gone.

Cooperate with the inevitable

Accept what has happened. Tell yourself that it is so. It cannot be otherwise. This is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune. You see, it is not miserable to be blind, it is only miserable not to be able to endure blindness.

Cry neither for the moon nor over spilt milk. You see, circumstances alone don’t make you happy or unhappy. It is the way we react to circumstances that determines our feelings. Remember, you have both "kingdom of heaven" and "kingdom of hell" within you.

If you rail and kick against it and grow bitter, you won’t be able to change the inevitable, but you will change yourself.

For every ailment under the sun,

There is a remedy, or there is none;

If there be one, try to find it;

If there be none, never mind it.

We will last longer and enjoy smoother riding if we learn to absorb the shocks and jolts along the rocky road of life. If we’ll not bend like the willow and insist on resisting like the oak, then we’ll set up a series of inner conflicts. We’ll be worried, tense, strained, and neurotic.

Put a “stop loss” order on your worries

Whenever we are tempted to throw good money after bad in terms of human living, let’s stop and ask ourselves these three questions-

How much does this thing I am worrying about really matter to me?
At what point shall I set a “stop-loss” order on this worry and forget it?
Exactly how much shall I pay for this whistle? Have I already paid more than it is worth?

All of us are squandering our lives. Let’s say enough now! Decide just how much anxiety a thing may be worth- and refuse to give it anymore. This is one of the greatest secrets to true peace of mind.

Don’t try to saw sawdust

When you start worrying about things that are over and done with, you are merely trying to saw sawdust. And it’s a completely futile exercise.

Wise men never sit and wail their loss, but cheerily seek how to redress their harms.

Seven ways to cultivate a mental attitude that will bring you peace and happiness

Eight words that can transform your life

Our life is what our thoughts make it.

You see, a man is what he thinks about all day long. So, choose the right thoughts. Remember, our mental attitude has an unbelievable effect on our physical powers. It is physically impossible to remain blue or depressed while you are acting out the symptoms of being radiantly happy.

Be concerned about your problems, not worried. Concern means realizing what the problems are and calmly taking steps to meet them. Worrying means going around in maddening, futile circles.

The high cost of getting even

Let’s never try to get even with our enemies, because we will hurt ourselves far more than we hurt them if we do. Let’s never waste a minute thinking about people we don’t like.

When we hate our enemies, we are giving them power over us: power over our sleep, our appetites, our blood pressure, our health, and our happiness. Our enemies would dance with joy if only they knew how they were worrying us, lacerating us, and getting even with us. Our hate is not hurting them at all, but our hate is turning our own days and nights into hellish turmoil.

You see, we may not be saintly enough to love our enemies, but, for the sake of our own health and happiness, let’s at least forgive and forget them. One sure way to forgive and forget our enemies is to become absorbed in some cause infinitely bigger than ourselves. Then the insults and the enmities we encounter won’t matter because we will be oblivious of everything but our cause.

If you do this, you will never worry about ingratitude

Gratitude is a fruit of great cultivation. You do not find it among gross people. It is natural for people to forget to be grateful; so, if we go around expecting gratitude, we are headed straight for a lot of heartaches. So, start pouring out love without the hope of a return. Take joy in doing favors for others selflessly. Give for the inner joy of giving.

Remember- Ingratitude is natural, like weeds. Gratitude is like a rose. It has to be fed and watered and cultivated and loved and protected.

Count your blessings, not your troubles

We seldom think of what we have but always of what we lack. It is the greatest tragedy on earth. Always, think and thank. Think of all we have to be grateful for and thank God for all our boons and bounties. Develop a habit of looking on the best side of every event.

Find yourself and be yourself

Nobody is so miserable as he who longs to be somebody and something other than the person he is in body and mind.

Let’s not imitate others. Remember there is no one else on earth like you. So, find yourself and be yourself. Envy is ignorance and imitation is suicide.

If you have a lemon, make a lemonade

The most important thing in life is not to capitalize on your gains. Any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your losses. That requires intelligence, and it makes the difference between a man of sense and a fool. Take lessons from your mistakes and try not to repeat them in the future. So, when fate hands us a lemon, let’s try to make lemonade.

How to cure depression in fourteen days

If you want to banish worry and cultivate peace and happiness, then forget yourself by becoming interested in others. Taking an interest in people makes them beam with pleasure. Every day do a good deed that will put a smile of joy on someone’s face.

Remember- A bit of the fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses.

The perfect way to conquer worry

Few men in their lifetime come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength that are never used. Learn to tap those wells of strength and use those resources- by turning to God.

When you pray to God, you seek to augment your finite energy by addressing yourself to the infinite source of all energy. Whenever we address God in fervent prayer, we change both soul and body for the better. Even in asking for help, our human deficiencies are filled and we arise strengthened and repaired.

Prayer helps us to put into words exactly what is troubling us, and it helps in the speedy resolution of our issues. Prayer gives us a sense of sharing our burdens, of not being alone. It puts into force an active principle of doing. And when we start taking action, our problems start getting solved.

How to keep from worrying about criticism

No one ever kicks a dead dog

When you are unjustly criticized, do the very best you can. Put up your old umbrella and keep the rain of criticism from running down the back of your neck.

Always remember- No one ever kicks a dead dog. So when you are kicked and criticized, remember that it is often done because it gives the kicker a feeling of importance.

Vulgar people take huge delight in the faults and follies of great men. But, remember unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment. Never be bothered by what people say, as long as you know in your heart you are right. Remember, even God is not untouched by criticism.

But, remember- Ignore only unjust criticism. If you are being criticized and you know that something is wrong with you, then correct yourself. Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you’ll be criticized, anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.

Fool things I have done

Let’s keep a record of the fool things we have done and criticize ourselves. Since we can’t hope to be perfect, let’s welcome the criticism if it’s unbiased, helpful, and constructive. Also, we should try being our own most severe critic. Let’s find and remedy all our weaknesses before our enemies get a chance to say a word.

Einstein, the most profound thinker of our day, confessed that his conclusions were wrong 99% of the time. So, if he can be wrong 99% of the time, we can be wrong at least 80% of the time. Maybe we deserve the criticism. Hence, we should be thankful for it. We should try to profit from it.

Lincoln welcomed criticism when he knew it was sincere, founded on knowledge, and given in a spirit of helpfulness.

Six ways to prevent fatigue and worry and keep your energy and spirits high

How to add one hour a day to your waking life

You see, fatigue accumulates fast. You cannot continue to worry if you relax. So, rest often. Rest before you get tired. Rest is not a matter of doing absolutely nothing. Rest is repairing. There is so much repair power in a short period of rest that even a 5 minutes nap can help forestall fatigue.

Taking frequent rests is more helpful than a continuous unbroken sleep. This way you can add 1 hour a day to your waking life.

What makes you tired and what you can do about it

The greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin; exhaustion of purely physical origin is rare. If a worker is in good health and gets fatigued during work, then it’s due to psychological or emotional factors viz. boredom, resentment, a feeling of not being appreciated, a feeling of futility, hurry, anxiety, worry. These emotional factors exhaust the sitting worker and reduce his output. People get tired because these emotions produce nervous tensions in the body.

Solution- Learn to relax while you are doing your work. Tension is a habit. Relaxing is a habit too. Bad habits can be broken, good habits can be formed. But yes, don’t make too much effort to relax. Think ease and relaxation. Begin by relaxing the muscles of your eyes.

How to avoid fatigue and keep looking young?

The best remedy for lightening worry is talking your troubles over with someone you trust. Brooding over worries alone, and keeping them to oneself, causes great nervous tension. You could get relieved from all your anxieties if you could just talk.

Other ideas-

Keep a notebook for inspirational reading. In this book, you can paste all the poems, short prayers, quotations, which appeal to you personally and give you a lift.
Don’t dwell too long on the shortcomings of others. Look at the virtues instead.
Get interested in people. Try to know them.
Make a schedule for tomorrow’s work before you go to bed tonight. You will have much less fatigue and a lot of time for rest and enjoyment.

Four good working habits that will help prevent fatigue and worry

Clear your desk of all papers except those related to the immediate task at hand.
Prioritize your work. Do the one with the highest priority first.
When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts necessary to make a decision. Don’t keep putting off decisions.
Learn to organize, deputize and supervise. You cannot do everything on your own. Learn how to delegate responsibility to others.

How to banish the boredom that produces fatigue, worry, and resentment

No doubt, physical exercise has its importance. But we need more spiritual and mental exercises every morning to stir us into action. Give yourself a pep talk every day.

Remember- Our life is what our thoughts make it. By talking to yourself every hour of the day, you can direct yourself to think thoughts of courage and happiness, thoughts of power and peace.

How to keep from worrying about insomnia

The first requisite for a good night’s sleep is a feeling of security. We need to feel that some power greater than ourselves will take care of us until morning. Make a habit of praying daily. The exercise of prayer is the most adequate of all the pacifiers of the mind and calmers of the nerves.

Another thing you can try is getting yourself tired by gardening, swimming, tennis, golf, or by any physically exhausting work. If we get tired enough, nature will force us to sleep even while we are walking.

Then, do not worry about insomnia much. Worrying about insomnia usually causes far more damage than sleeplessness.

That's all guys. I would strongly recommend the readers out there to spare some time and read this wisdom-rich manual to live your life fully and wisely.

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Book Summary- How to stop worrying and start living?