What will I do? How will I get there? Who will help me? Why is this happening?
Do you do these things?
Let me be the first one to raise my hand and say that I do all of the above, and the more I worry over them the bigger the challenges become.
So I've set myself a new challenge.
Remember last year when I was unable to get my property that was in North Carolina. You can read some about it here. I knew it was a challenge and I worried about if for two years.
But, I also finally realized that it was a challenge I needed to face in order to grow. When I did get my property back, I found that much of it had been stolen or badly damaged. You can read about that here.
Did all of the worrying I did change the outcome? No!! and I think if I had looked upon the challenge as a friend that was going to help me grow, I would have saved myself a lot of worry and I would have grown more from it.
So I am taking on the new challenge because I know the sun is going to start peeking out from behind those clouds of worry.
I'm interested in knowing how you handle your challenges. Do you worry about them or do you see them as opportunities to grow.
Sometimes the only thing you can do is pray and believe things will work out - no worries :-)
ReplyDeleteThat is true, Vicki.
DeleteI try NOT to worry, Laura, but that is not an easy task for me, either. I do try to handle things on a day-to-day basis and not worry too much about what will happen tomorrow. With all that goes on around here all the time I have learned to pretty much roll with the punches. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteI agree, Diana and I think we get to a point where it becomes somewhat easier to roll with the punches.
DeleteI worry to some extent and then have to remind myself to turn it all over to God, but boy is that hard to do. Praying is easier than worrying and I need to remember that. Beautiful photos by the way :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dawn. It is hard to turn it over, because we love to retain control.
DeleteI try really hard to not worry and to see the positive in every day but some days are harder than others. I'll admit some days the only positive I see is that the train coming down the track is gonna run over me. We used to say my Granny was the Mistress of Gloom and Doom so I try very, very hard not to adapt her view of life.
ReplyDeleteDonna
I have a relative who is the Mistress of Gloom and Doom, too so I try hard not to follow that path.
DeleteI confess I worry sometimes. It is human nature, I think, but a bad habit anyway. The older I get the more I realize I just have to be thankful each day. For each moment.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother always said the worry doesn't add a day to your life, and she was so right. It is better to enjoy each moment.
DeleteI agree re the prayer. Also, worry and stress is always over the FUTURE, and we have to remind ourselves that we only are guaranteed today. My therapist taught me that; anxiety was rooted in the future, sadness in the past...we all need to spend more time in the here and now. And that 90% of what we angst over, never comes to fruition. We spend so much of our lives worrying needlessly. It takes conscious effort on my part to break that bad habit, but it's worth it! (oddly enough, going grain free and mostly sugar free has eased my stress/anxiety levels a LOT.)
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, Gwen. I am gluten free and I have started going sugar free again because I found when I was eating sugar my anxiety level rose. Much calmer without it.
DeleteI worry myself sick, literally, for a while - and then I let go.................I agree with Gwen - most of it never comes to fruition anyway.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should let go of the sugar too!
xoxo
Let go of the sugar, Suzan. It does work. :)
DeleteI worry way too much and its a challenge to let go of things. I'm trying and doing better all the time. I like your idea of seeing them as a way to grow!
ReplyDeleteI really do think they are a way to grow. Why else would we be given all of these challenges.
DeleteMy mother was a champion worrier so I could follow her. Do I sometimes? Yes. On the other hand I do devote time to pray and ask for help with my unbelief.
ReplyDeleteYay, Olive :)
DeleteI find it easier to roll with the punches if it only pertains to me,
ReplyDeletebut it is harder if it involves my children.
I put it in Gods hands believing he is my best friend and he will
see me through.
I agree about the children. I really step into action though when it involves them.
DeleteMy Pollyanna hat is a tad bit crooked, Laura. I’m just grateful it hasn’t blown away into the abyss. One day at a time, my friend. One day at a time.
ReplyDeleteI bet your Pollyanna hat is straighter than you think, Lynn. One day at a time is always good advice, my friend.
DeletePerhaps this new jaunty angle is rather carefree, Laura. Thanks!
DeleteI've never been good at worrying. I tend to simply plow through stuff, rather than worrying about it. Actually, that may be because my parents patterned that for me. They also patterned a deep, abiding faith that God was in control, regardless of what our circumstances look like to us. We kids never dared worry (aloud) about things - our parents would find a job for us to do. :-) But I do think that personalities are different. We all operate from the type of personality we are given and I suspect that worriers tend to be sweeter, more sympathetic friends than non worriers. We all have different jobs. Some are there to be sympathetic and lend a shoulder to cry on. Others are there to solve the problem.
ReplyDeleteVery wise, my friend. I think I am a bit of both. Although I do worry, I also am a problem solver. :)
DeleteI've decided, in my old age, that life is too short to worry about things I cannot control. I need to let some things go so that I can be free to enjoy others.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, and I go back to what I said in an earlier reply. Worry doesn't add a day to your life.
DeleteIt's not easy to stop the worry habit. I still find myself worrying, but I am doing better with it. Worry doesn't change anything, except it makes you weaker.
ReplyDeleteLetting it go and problem solving are definitely better.
DeleteOMG do you know what I do lately! ? ! lol...I worry alot and have done so for all of my life, so lately I have started to take the worry, indulge it and escalate it to some wild extreme and then tell myself to shut up and it's been working :) Like " YES you are going to have a heart attack after falling down the stairs after shoveling snow and furthermore all of your teeth are going to fall out at the same time and then your head will explode with an aneurysm and then a big tornado will sweep you away into pieces and then your kids won't have an inheritance because on the same day the stock market will have crashed" and at THAT point the worrier is happier and I tell it to shut up for the rest of the day :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laugh, Deb. We are all so silly with our worries. ;}
DeleteAn interesting post that I enjoyed reading.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.