Worry doesn’t ruin people’s lives.

The fear of worry does.

99% of the things we worry about never happen but it is the anticipation of what we fear could happen that paralyzes us, brings illness, wrecks relationships and puts a damper on happiness.

My father had a heart attack when he was 37.  He lived to be 82.  My mother was a professional worrywart and her son became pretty skilled at it, too.

The best book I ever read on worry was Dale Carnegie’s How To Stop Worrying and Start Living.  In a moment I will share a great way to use that book to put a stop/loss on worry.

But first, three facts you should know about worrying: 

1. Live in day tight compartments.  Don’t stew about the future.  Just live each day until bedtime. 
2. Remind yourself of the exorbitant price we can pay for worry in terms of health.  “Those who don’t know how to fight worry die young”.
3. Ask yourself what is the worst that can possibly happen if you can’t solve your problem.  Prepare yourself mentally to accept the worst — if necessary.  Then calmly try to improve upon the worst — which you have already mentally agreed to accept.

Now the hint.

Buy a paperback copy of Carnegie’s book or download it to a tablet or reader and read one chapter at a time.  Only one.  Read it over and over again as many times as necessary.  Only when you have mastered the principle in each chapter, move on to the next but not before you’ve begun to see yourself breaking the worry habit.

“Today is our most precious possession. It is our only sure possession” – Dale Carnegie

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