The Wisdom of Letting Go of Worry
“Forty percent of the things we worry about will never happen.
Thirty percent concern things that have already happened.
Twenty-two percent are about trivial matters.
Four percent involve circumstances beyond our control.
That leaves only four percent—real problems about which we can actually do something.”
— Ernie J. Zelinski, The Joy of Not Working
Thirty percent concern things that have already happened.
Twenty-two percent are about trivial matters.
Four percent involve circumstances beyond our control.
That leaves only four percent—real problems about which we can actually do something.”
— Ernie J. Zelinski, The Joy of Not Working
We go through life burdened by countless worries, day after day.
We fret over things that have yet to happen,
cling to the past and torment ourselves with regret,
and lie awake at night troubled by circumstances
over which we have no control.
Whenever something weighs heavily on your mind,
begin by asking yourself one simple question:
“Is there anything I can do about this right now?”
If the answer is yes, stop worrying and take action.
If the answer is no, stop worrying and let it go.
Perhaps one of the greatest forms of courage we can cultivate in life
is the courage to release from our hearts
the burdens we have no power to resolve.
— From Dawn Light Notes by Ki Jun Kwon
Reflection of the Day
★ Perhaps we become trapped in the quicksand of worry because we mistake worrying for preparing. Worrying is suffering over a problem, allowing anxiety to consume us while accomplishing nothing. Preparing is understanding the problem, identifying what lies within our control, and taking meaningful steps toward a solution.
It is worth asking ourselves: Have I been mistaking worry for preparation? ★
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