We all have things at which we are very skilled. Things that have taken years of
rigorous training performed at exceptional levels. Some of you might have
amazing athletic ability, a green thumb, an eye for fashion, or a keen sense of
humor.
I also have a remarkable skill; one that I’ve been good at
long before I even entered Kindergarten.
Yes folks, I am a champion worrier. Born with a grandma-like ability to
stew over anything. Sometimes I get all worked up because I forgot about
whatever it was I was worrying about, so I create something new. Then,
boom!....Just like that, back in the anxiety groove. Brilliant!
As a kid I remember worrying about being attacked by
animals, eating beans or spicy food (I might fart in class), strangers coming
to the house, running out of toilet paper, and getting in trouble at school.
Ugh. Torture.
Worrying was a built in ability of mine, but let’s not kid
ourselves. I had the highest
quality training known to humankind. Mom
and Dad: The Greek Gods of Worry.
Sure, everybody’s folks worry, but not at this level of expertise. They diligently worked with me day in
and day out, warning me of the dangers of the world. For example:
“Don’t run! You might fall!”
“Don’t look at people in the cars next to you. They might shoot you.”
“Underwear with fun colors might give you a rash.”
“When on a trip, drive as long as you have to in order to find a gas
station on the same side of road as you. Crossing a 2 lane highway is
dangerous. Wet your pants if you
have to.”
“If you can’t easily find a parking spot, turn around and go home. You don’t know what kind of crazy
people are out.”
“The Halloween candy might have poison in it.”
I got to a point when I completely exhausted myself by
worrying. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until my 30’s that I eased up on the
process. All the self-help books I
read probably contributed to this.
Maybe, this is what happens when you get older. Not sure. Yes, I still worry plenty but it feels
great to have changed my views about a few things:
Old thought: “What
could go wrong?”
New thought: “What
could go right?”
Old thought: “What if
I fail?”
New thought: “What if
I don’t try”
Old thought: “What’s
the worst that can happen?”
New thought: “What’s
the best that can happen?”
Old thought: “Worrying
prepares me.”
New thought:
“Worrying tells me that I doubt myself.”
This weekend, I visited my mom. I'd just like to say, she didn't tell me she was worried about me even once! Now that I think about it, I don't think she said she was worried about anything. Well, once when she thought I was running out of coffee and showed concern. Thanks mom and nice work!
Kindness of the day (Plus a couple for the days I missed):
I deliberately complimented several people, including strangers, on their appearance. This always goes really far! Fantastic!
I invited a mom and daughter from my garage sale into my house to use the bathroom. She was unbelievably grateful. Thoughtfulness counts.
I purposefully, engaged a parent from the football team about his work, what he was reading, and what he was excited about in the future. Great conversation!
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