Who would not have worried about tomorrow?
Only the ones who have no idea if they will be able to live their today happily. Ask Maslow. Ask any need theorist.
But does worrying help?
I came across a quote from John T. Tinsley on worrying,
“Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday and all is well.“
Profound.
Reflection leads to a not-so-surprising discovery: many years of my life have been spent in worrying or responding to other people’s actions powered by worries.
Don’t mislead worrying with irresponsibility
Not worrying and irresponsibility are two different things. People who do not want to own the outcomes and consequences thereof always find someone to take responsibility.
Not worrying can be replaced with actions that matter. Irresponsibility will find someone on whom the failures can be blamed.
So, what to do?
While it may not be possible to get rid of worry altogether, it is quite possible to engage yourself truly in the task on hand. If you invest your time in thinking about its outcome, then your worry will be increased. Investing in getting the task done will leave you in a better situation.
The interesting thing about the outcome is this – it is one of the thousands of possibilities of a set of actions that have come true. If you think vividly about the outcome then there might be chances you would want to respond to situations that will never happen.
Better idea, as it turns out, is not “Not to worry” but “To engage yourself fully in the actions that matter.”
What’s your view?
