" Don't You Worry Child … "

“There was a time

I used to look into my father's eyes.

In a happy home

I was a king, I had a golden throne ...

Now the memory's on the wall.

I hear the songs

From the places where I was born ...

My father said,

"Don't you worry, don't you worry, child.

See heaven's got a plan for you.

Don't you worry, don't you worry now."

Yeah!”

~ Swedish House Mafia ~ Don’t You Worry Child ~

***

On my daily quest for eternal sunshine, I remind myself that life has ups and downs, we face the good and the bad, we witness the ugly and the beautiful ... day in and day out ... yet the only day, today, is the one to be concerned with.  

Today ... any person can battle just one day, any person.  It is when we add the burdens of those two other days that we can break down.  Those two other days ... yesterday & tomorrow.

remorse or bitterness of something which happened yesterday ...

dread of what tomorrow may bring ...

Do you reflect on yesterday(s) and see it’s mistakes, cares, faults, blunders, aches and pains … 

or do you see lessons, gifts and blessings?  

We cannot undo a single act we performed. 

We cannot erase a single word we said.

Does tomorrow bring burdens, lack of and poor prognosis … 

or do you see opportunities & possibilities?

You can only live one day at a time

Life is unpredictable not to enjoy each and every moment.  Realizing that our time is limited makes every moment even more important.  Yet knowing the importance of living in the moment and taking action is another.  

My spiritual practices has shown me that thoughts are not necessarily reality.  That when my mind is bogged down with concerns, worries, what-if thoughts and imagined scenarios ... I need to intervene, take control and not believe the potentially terrible outcomes my mind has presented ... why?  because I am still here in the most important moment, now.

Staying in the present requires recognizing the difference between what-ifs and what is.

The more we dwell on, the more it multiplies.  No day is going to be perfect but we can choose to focus more on the happy moments than on the painful ones.  

“If you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is.”

" Energy ... "

In beauty or beast

Who's my character to be

I'm now covering

All the makeup that makes me

(Come on, come on, come on) ...

And all of your friends are now whispering

I think you left me for the government

And all of your friends, I hope are listening

I wish you'd stop sucking all my energy ...

(Energy, energy, energy, energy, oh)

I wish you'd stop wasting all my energy

(Energy, energy, energy, energy, oh)

I wish you'd stop wasting all my energy

~ Collective Soul ~ Energy ~

***

Ever notice that successful people have an energy about them.  And it is not just their physical energy but their “inner” energy.  Considering low energy, exhaustion and fatigue are at epidemic levels, it would probably be wise and start rebuilding our personal energy levels now.

So how do we get and maintain high level of personal energy?  Well the first thing is knowing that personal energy does come from within ... the real source is inside.

Opportunities create personal energy ... optimism.  

Consequence thinking creates “stuck-ness” ... pessimism.

It starts with taking care of Health.  Critical.  Good health provides the platform for high personal energy.  We all hear about how highly successful people have overcome very difficult physical and mental issues to create the energy necessary to succeed ... the key being opportunity thinking.

It involves Curiosity.  Curiosity also creates personal energy.  A sense of discovery or wanting to know more ... then taking action to gain knowledge.  It gets you out of a rut.  And I read somewhere that “the only difference between a rut and a grave is a rut's longer.”

It means Overcoming.  Overcoming the panel of “thems” as I refer to it ... you know the “theys” or “thems” that are invisible and sitting on your shoulders telling you to be careful, be afraid and give up.  Ignoring it is a small victory.  And knowing they will be back but also knowing you can overcome it if you keep your eyes on the prize.

It means Releasing worry.  Worry drains your energy and if you are a worrier, like me, or an over-thinker, mental exhaustion results.  Lift your worry by reciting   “May I be free of worry, May I be well, May I feel safe and at ease, May I be at peace”.

Check in and assess your level of energy.  There are infinite ways to increase this so find what works for you.  Commit yourself to taking action and use this to control your emotions.  Just begin by laughing, smiling and thinking about an opportunity ... and you may be amazed at how things may shift and lift your spirit.

" The Age Of Worry ... "

Close your eyes and clone yourself

Build your heart an army ...

Know your fight is not with them

Yours is with your time here

Dream your dreams but don't pretend

Make friends with what you are

Give your heart then change your mind

You're allowed to do it

'Cause God knows it's been done to you

And somehow you got through it

Alive in the age of worry

Rage in the age of worry

Sing out in the age of worry ...

Act your age in the age of worry

And say, "Worry, get out of here!"

~ John Mayer ~ The Age Of Worry ~

***

We all worry but some of us more than others ... and sometimes to the point where it becomes a problem in itself.  Spoiling your life with worry.  

So what is worrying?  Worry is spending a lot of time thinking about bad things and being preoccupied with negative possibilities.  Gloomy thoughts about what might happen in the future, about what is happening in the present, and about what is already in the past.    

Future Fears ... concerning yourself with things that may or may not happen such as accidents or illnesses or what happens next.

Present Fears ... feeling anxious about a situation you are powerless to change but also about situations you can do something about.  

Past Fears ... once it has already happened there is often nothing you can do to alter it.  Yet continuing to worry about what you could have done differently.

Our bodies chemically react to the fear 

that worrying can create ... 

Fear affects our digestive system ... worry releases adrenalin so a rush of it can cause stomach aches, head aches and make you feel ill.

Fear affects our sleep ... we usually feel worse at night.  We have no distractions, we become anxious and it is much easier for our thoughts to get out of perspective at night.  

The more you worry, 

the bigger your worries become ...

So why worry?  Well, for me, my worrying is connected to my lack of confidence.  Fear.  And that is hard for me to admit but it is easier for me to worry about something than to do something about it.  Sometimes it is easier for me to just dwell.  The more problems I think I have, the less able I feel I can cope with them.  This increases my sense of helplessness, reduces my confidence and makes me more vulnerable to my fears.  

Also I think subconsciously if I “worry enough” I can prevent bad things from happening.  But the fact is that excessive worrying taxes my mind and body into overdrive as I constantly focus on “what might happen”.

Believe that you are capable 

of taking action or handling a bad situation ...

Yes easier said than done, for me.  But I am learning. 

• Learning to talk it over with others helps me to consider a possible course of action not formulated on my own.  
• Learning to face whatever I know about the situation and what I can do about it. 
• Learning to blog/write down what is troubling me 
• Learning to consider action about a situation I feel anxious about and that is preoccupying my thoughts 
• Learning to focus on shifting negative thoughts with positive ones by seeing worries as physical objects that can be discarded (thru meditation)
• Learning that exercise can change the focus from my mind to my body, resulting in less tension, better moods & overall sense of well being

I have to tell myself that trying to predict your fate and future is futile so quit trying.  Life is a flux, it keeps moving and worrying is the mind’s means of pretending as if it’s in control.  I do what I can and and leave the rest to destiny.  Because when I deeply realize that life is not controllable I understand truth is to live in surrender to what is.  

Worrying is like riding a rocking horse, it doesn't get you anywhere