How to stop worrying and start living by Dale Carnegie

Worry is a complete waste of time, no problem has ever been solved by worrying about it, problems are solved with rational thought and decisive action not worry.

“Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere nearly a century ago.

Three worry remedies are particularly effective.

The first remedy will eliminate 90% of your worry.

The second remedy will eliminate the remaining 10%

The third worry remedy will prevent worry from creeping back into your life.

Worry remedy #1: analyze your worry

50% of your worry will be vanished, once you have a clear definite decision and another 40% usually vanishes once I start to carry out that decision realizing that one of my option has highest probability of a positive outcome. he committed to that option and crossed out all other course of action.

Next time you’re worried about something grab a pen and a paper and write down two questions, what am I worried about and what can I do about it.

After describing your worry in precise detail, write at least three courses of action you can take and decide which course of action has the highest probability of a positive result if the decision is too difficult proceed with any good option for five minutes and stop worrying if after five minutes the decision still feels right, continue, if not, act on your next best option, the more option you take, the more your worry will fade away.

To eliminate the remaining 10% of your worry

Emulate willis invent the first electric air conditioning unit and spent over 20 years building the carrier corporation, but early in his career he worked as an engiineer installing equipment at gas plants when one project started to go horribly wrong, carrier was consumed with worry, he feared losing his job and damaging his reputation, so how did he overcome this worry?

He image the day that the project had failed and his reputation had been damaged and he was unemployed, the carrier was still alive and he knew if he worked hard, he could find a new job and get back on his feet.

By learning to live with the worst case scenario, his worry dissipated, free from the burden of worry, he could think clearly again, which allowed him to see that adding additional equipment to the project might achieve the result the client wanted. After implementing his new solution, the project worked and his company went from potentially losing twenty thousand dollars to making fifteen thousand dollars.

Willis carrier says that one of the worst features about worrying is that it destroys our ability to concentrate, when we worry our mind jumps here and there everywhere and we lose all power of decision. However when we force ourselves to face the worst and accept it mentally we then eliminate all those vague imaginiinigs and put ourselves in position in which we are able to concentrate on our problem.

“Accepting the worst”

The simple way to experience the power of accepting the worst is to create a list of tasks you need to do today after making a list of urgent and important tasks, step back and accept that at the end of the day nothing on that list got done, after you’ve accepted that bitter reality, ask yourself how can I improve upon this horrible day now any task you complete will feel like a bonus, suddenly a list you were worried about becomes a list of opportunities, when you take time to analyze your worry and accept the worst and improve upon it, there’s a good chance you’ll eliminate your worry, but to prevent worry from creeping back into your life, live in day tight compartments.

Early 1900’s large ocean vessels were designed so that one part flooded, it could be sealed off by watertight iron door which would prevent the ship from sinking, this analogy can apply to your life, you can act like the captain of a huge ship who has the ability to press a button and shut the iron doors on today’s compartment, preventing the fears of yesterday, and the worries of tomorrow from floodinig into your mind.

To actiavte your iron doors do two things, first wake up every morning and imagine you’re living a new life, imagine your old self had died last night and your worries and regrets died with them and this morning is the first day of the rest of your life, then tell yourself, if I take care of today, tommorrow will take care of itself.

The best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence all your enthusiasm on doing today’s work superbly today. That’s the only possible way you can prepare for the future.

During World War two U.S. navy admiral ernest king famously said I have supplied the best men with the best equipment we have, and have given them what seems to be the wisest mission that is all I can do.

The Admiral slept soundly every night because he knew he did everything in his power that day to make tomorrow successful, so if want to stop worrying and start living eliminate 90% of your worry by writing down your worry in precise detail and then writing at least three courses of action you can take then make a decision and take action eliminate any remaining worry by accepting the worst and asking yourself how can I improve upon the worst, then to prevent any new worries from creeping back into your life practice living in day tight compartments by imaging each day is a new life and telling yourself if I do my best to take care of today tomorrow will take care of itself.