I decided to keep my ears open today. I can't tell you how many people I heard say those words. "I am worried" I have two quotes that I live by pertaining to worry.

"I've seen many troubles in my time,
only half of which ever came true."
Mark Twain

"If you are distressed by anything external,
the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it;
and this you have the power to revoke at any moment."
Charles F. Kettering

I love the history of the word "Worrier" Worrying may shorten one's life, but not as quickly as it once did. The ancestor of our word, Old English wyrgan, meant "to strangle." Its Middle English descendant, worien, kept this sense and developed the new sense "to grasp by the throat with the teeth and lacerate" or "to kill or injure by biting and shaking." In the 16th century worry began to be used in the sense "to harass, as by rough treatment or attack," or "to assault verbally," and in the 17th century the word took on the sense "to bother, distress, or persecute."

There is your history lesson for the day. Any way you look at it. It does not sound good. I am not going to get into all the medical statistics that tells us how bad worrying can be for our bodies. I am sure you have heard it all before. Studies have shown however that typically only 8% of our worries ever become reality.  I don't know about you, but if someone gave me an 8% chance of living if I left my house today, I would be play hooky today. What if someone gave you a 92% chance that you would find a million dollars, if you went outside? You could not keep me indoors.

So what this statistic says is that you have a 92% chance that the thing you are worrying about will never find its mark. Sounds almost foolish to worry, Doesn't it? But, we still do it, and we do it very well. If there was a class is school that taught us how to worry, we would all pass it with flying colors. So why is there NOT a class in school how to stop worrying? The first audio I ever listened to about worry was "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" I can honestly say that I do not worry one ounce now. I know that last statement might seem trivial to you, but if you asked some of my friends and family, you would here things like, "It's a miracle" I thought his worry would dig him an early grave" Coming from me, It is a big deal. Andrew Carnegie conveyed a very simple way to stop worrying.

So your question is. How did you stop worrying? Well, I hate to be this simplistic, but I can sum it up in two words. "Faith and Information". That is it. Let's start with faith. For those of you that to not believe in God, you are going to have a hard time with this one. I am not talking about being "Spiritual" either.  Wiki defines "Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and faith" It is only tied to a religious believe. A believe in God give you a hope and an understanding that there is a greater being out there looking after you and helping you through the tough times. Faith, if not strong, can be very hard to accomplish.

It is easy to say you have faith, but have you ever asked yourself how much faith do I have? Here is the key to worrying and faith. Once you get this concept, worry will be easy to concur. Let God navigate your life. I spent most of my life with an understanding that I was in charge. I made my life decisions. I was the one that decided how much money I made. I was the one the made the decision which way to turn on my life path. I have had many people say to me. "How did that work out for you" Back then I would have said pretty dam good. I had multiplied my income almost 10 fold. I had a beautiful house, a beautiful wife, and 3 beautiful kids. I had lots of toys. But today I look back and see. I was knee deep in debt. My wife and I had a horrible relationship. I never had time to do anything with my kids. I was depressed. I stomach was always on fire and I had headaches and pains everyday. Now I can say that I was doing pretty damn bad. It was all about me. I was in the driver's seat. I had faith, but it was weak at best.

It was not until I let God take control and give all my needs and decisions to him, when my life started to change. I now have an extreme faith that God has a plan for me. I no longer have to worry because I am not in charge. I know for a fact that there is no need for me to worry about the outcome of my trials and tribulations. No matter what, it will turn out good. I many not understand why he does what he does. My house may burn down, I may, God forbid, loose a loved one, but I know in my heart it is for a reason. I will not question that.

I have a friend that does not believe in God. I can only imagine how he deals with horrible events. He has no hope, no understanding of why. No peace to comfort him. I feel compelled to keep working on him. I will break through. I have faith. :

Now, let's talk about information. Most people worry about simple things. I used to worry that I had a tumor in my head. I always had headaches. I had myself convinced that I had a tumor. Getting fired was always a constant worry for me. Every time my boss would look at me or his door was closed, I felt like he was talking about me and I was on the chopping block.

Here is how to stop that. Do your homework. Get the information to debunk your theory. I did that for my headaches. I went and got a CAT scan from the doctor. Guess what was causing my headaches. You got it. WORRY!!! Worry gone. As far as my boss, when I get those ideas in my head, I just march into his office and ask him how I am doing and if he has and problems or issues with me to come straight to me and tell me. Worry gone.

It is easy to worry about the unknown. The saying "What you don't know, won't hurt you" is so not true. It can kill you, literally.  So my suggestion to you is talk to your pastor about your faith. He might be able to put you on the right path. It is so easy to get rid of the "Unknown". Get the facts. Remember, 92% of the time, your worry is a waste of time.

This is an oldie, but it will really hit home
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

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