Day 3 of 50 ideas in 50 Days is Dale Carnegie’s How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. Brian begins his Philosopher’s note with, “Dale Carnegie rocks!” I wholeheartedly agree with him as Dale’s direct, no nonsense approach really appeals to me and on such a subject as worry, I think it’s the correct approach.

So much unnecessary waste of energy and illness is caused by worry. This is evident as I’m sure everyone has either had an experience of this personally or know someone who has. Carnegie gives many quotes in the book from a variety of sources, very fittingly, like Montaigne’s, “My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened.” Dale encourages “living in day tight compartments, living in the moment and not worrying about ‘what ifs’ that tomorrow may hold. This is another common theme in so many self-help books and it gives us more of an appreciation of the moments of life.

Another quote Dale gives illustrates the importance of acceptance. He quotes professor William James who said, “be willing to have it so.” What does he mean by this? There is no point in trying to change the past, as much as you might wish things had been different, there is nothing you can do to change it. Past is past. Accepting what is ends conflict and struggle in your mind about a past that you can do nothing to change.

So if we can do something to change a situation, what should we do? He gives 4 steps for positive action:

1. Write down precisely what you are worried about.  2. Write down what you can do about it.  3. Decide what to do.  4. Start immediately to carry out that decision.  These 4 are all about action, if you can’t do anything to change a situation, why worry? If you can, then do it, as soon as possible! Simple and highly sensible solution and very typical of his no nonsense approach.

Not surprisingly, Dale devotes a substantial part of the book to the benefits of relaxation and rest to reduce worry. It makes sense! Real rest, if it isn’t sleep, needs to be in the form of  complete distraction away from your worry, like meditation. Psychiatrists declare that “most of our fatigue derives itself from our emotional and mental attitudes.” How often have you felt totally exhausted at the end of the day due to stress, anxiety, boredom or other negative states of mind? He gives 2 very smart and practical solutions. 

1. Be aware of when you feel tense during the day and relax your body, especially where you feel the tension.

2. Get busy! Don’t give yourself time to be miserable, do something productive and focus on it.

Dale Carnegie gives classic answers and timeless remedies to an age old problem and they work. Solutions don’t need to be complicated, once again the simplest answers are the most effective.

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