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Dreamscape Jewelry Design

December 1, 2019: Breaking the Worry Habit


I’ve always been a worrier.  As a first born with an over developed sense of responsibility AND an overactive, creative mind, my worries have led my imagination on a rollercoaster of “what ifs” that 99% of the time have never come to fruition.

This weekend’s show was no exception.  At our shows, we offer custom changes whether it’s the sizing of one of our ZoBangles, a chain length, earring clasp or addition of a charm.

Our booth can get crowded and we had been told that the amount of people at this particular show was immense.  My worry brain envisioned a packed booth, with lines waiting for Ron to adjust their jewelry, leading to frustrated and unhappy customers .

I initiated discussion after discussion with Ron and other Vendors  on alternatives of how and what we could do to facilitate the process.  The reality is that as our banner says, we offer unique and custom pieces.

“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” 

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Once again, my worries were unfounded.  Although this show had a steady stream of customers, there weren’t any “mobs of people”, and like usual, the people in our booth were appreciative, patient and understanding.  The time I spent imagining and trying to problem solve a worst case scenario could have been focused more on other more positive aspects and productive endeavors.

After reflecting on my recent slide into unnecessary, mental meandering, I realized I need to continue to work on changing my worry habit,  recognizing it saps both joy and energy. Instead of focusing on uncertainty, I can stop an insidious worry and instead focus on what’s actually happening in this particular time and place. It will take practice, and an awareness of how fruitless the worrying can be, but it’s an endeavor I definitely intend to pursue more consistently.

For encouragement and reinforcement I have collected a series of quotes to remind and re-shift my thoughts when they jump back on the rollercoaster of uncertainty.  As Deepak Chopra wrote in his Hope In Uncertainty Meditation series,

““I want to respond to uncertainty with more gratitude, creativity, clarity, and compassion.”

If you’re also a “worrywart”, what is your favorite quote on worrying and/or practice on how do you overcome it? Please feel welcome to share the best one(s) you have found in the comments below.


”People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them.”

– George Bernard Shaw


“Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere”

– Erma Bombeck


 “Start small, think big. Don’t worry about too many things at once. Take a handful of simple things to begin with, and then 
progress to more complex ones. Think about not just tomorrow but the future. Put a ding in the universe.”

Steve Jobs

Drag your thoughts away from your troubles… by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.

– Mark Twain

 “Stop worrying about what can go wrong, and get excited about what can go right.”

Anonymous

“If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.”

– George F. Burns

“Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment.”

– Dale Carnegie

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”


– Winston Churchill

“Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.”

– Henry Ward Beecher

“Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes anything.”

Mary Hemingway

Worry is a misuse of the imagination.

– Dan Zadra

“Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”

– Arthur Somers Roche


Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.

Benjamin Franklin


You can’t wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time.

Pat Schroeder



We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

— Joseph Campbell


Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present. 

Marcus Aurelius

We welcome your responses!

Comments

  • Alice Valpey
    December 1, 2019

    Sometimes it is good to be prepaired in case something happens but I don’t consider that worry. Worry is useless. I often tell myself to expect the unexpected. If it is unexpected, I don’t know what I should worry about so I don’t worry. I enjoy your blogs Wendy.

    reply
  • Rita
    December 1, 2019

    All those quotes should be helpful in achieving your goal of reducing your habit of worrying. As usual I do enjoy your blogs and always learn something helpful. Keep them coming and when you accumulate enough you”ll publish them in book form!

    reply

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