As trite as it sounds, I think my one real resolution this year is to not sweat the small stuff. And as my daughter points out (more triteness coming), it really is almost all small stuff.
I had a great boss once (then a lawyer, now a judge), who really embodied this practice. When something would go wrong, he'd let off with a string of epithets that would wither a sensitive soul. And then he was done with agonizing and was on to the practical problem-solving.
I have tried to adopt some of this approach in my own life - to get past any worry, frustration, anger, and other negative emotions that tend more to debilitate than to help any situation. I've been relatively successful with getting on with the problem-solving phase quickly, and I am good at letting go of anger to the point that I honestly rarely even feel anger anymore. But it has been hard to let go of the worrying.
This is something I really want to focus on this year. And as a born worrier, this will be a real challenge.
6 comments:
I think at least in my case that some of my sweating over problems comes from not accepting them. I want to bargain or deny them away.
Once I accept a problem they are generally easy to deal with - Just takes a plan. I think it was Mark Twain that said, "Many a man worries all his life over things that never come to pass" or something similar. Fear of impending doom can be crippling.
Good luck with your resolution.
One of the things my late mother used to say "Nothing is eaten as hot as it's cooked' and one thing I say, "Worry is like a rocking horse - it gets you nowhere'.
I will have to keep reminding myself of those as it has been said of me that when I don't have anything to worry about, I worry about the fact that i have nothing to worry about!
So as jacqui knows, my mantra for the year is 'one day at a time' and that means no worrying.......
Good luck!
We usually find what we are looking for. Looking for the brighter things of life has helped my not worry too much.
Happy New Year to you and your family.
Thanks, everyone, good advice. I will be working on it.
Bill S., Happy New Year to you and yours as well.
Good plan. My approach of late, which is probably quite uncharitable, is too gently and without raising a fuss, leave the toxic people in my life behind. Hanging around with opptimistic and positive people seems to leave the worrisome things less so.
Is it uncharitable, TB? As I have been doing much the same. I have thought of it more as a life-beautification project.
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