Will Lukang, CLDC, CSM, PMP

Sometimes I find myself getting caught in life’s conundrum.    At that point, I spend time worrying about things that matter to me and things that are happening around me.    While it is not intentional, it affects my ability to be effective and productive.  Akin to a cloud that is hovering on your head, it affects the way you deal with people and impacts your productivity.

As I look around and talk to people around me, I realize that everyone at some point will be doing the same thing, and it can become infectious.    I compare worrying to carrying a bag of rocks.  During the first five minutes, I would be all right, but as time goes by I would have some difficulty carrying, and over a period of time I could have trouble keeping it up.    After a while, couldn’t carry it anymore and would be really tired and have to put it down.

The question I asked myself: Is it necessary for me to worry?   It is not easy to decide not to worry. However over the years I learned to ask myself these two questions:  Can I change it? Can I influence the outcome? If my answers to these questions are “NO” then I would remind myself that I have to stop worrying about it.  I would let nature takes its course and face the outcome and react accordingly.

I believe in the saying “It is not the load that breaks you down, but the way you carry it” by Lou Holtz.  Everyone in this world carries some sort of load.  However, the way you carry the load is what matters.    Life is short; therefore by worrying you’ll miss out on enjoying the present.     Your happiness is defined by how you deal with life’s challenges.   If you put things in perspective, it can help you enjoy your life a little bit more.

The next time you fall in the trap of worrying, ask yourself the two questions, and if your answers are NO, stop and take a deep breath and let it go.   Life filled with worries is not going to do you any good, because it will affect the way you deal with your family, who has nothing to do with what’s going with you.   You’ll miss out on the opportunity to create a lasting experience with your loved ones if you worry too much.  It could also affect your work and cause you to underperform.

Don’t take the medicine before you have the headache.   Sometimes by going with the flow you can see things better and come up with ways to address it.   Learn to smell the roses, enjoy the gift of a brand new day, and appreciate the blue sky.