Stop the vicious cycle of worrying

QI really struggle with worrying about... well, almost everything. Do you have any practical suggestions for controlling my anxiety?

Jim: Let me turn back the clock to a well-known author and speaker, Dale Carnegie. Although he died in 1955, his books and seminars continue to sell the world over. He’s probably best known for his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. But another of Carnegie’s classic works, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, is a timely and insightful message for this anxious era in which we live.

Here are Dale Carnegie’s seven rules to stop your vicious cycle of worry:

● Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage and hope. As a man thinks, so is he.

● Don’t waste time trying to get even with an enemy. Let it go.

● Be grateful.

● Count your blessings. Never look at what you have lost — look at what you have left.

● Be yourself — don’t imitate. If you do, the best you can ever hope to be is second best.

● Make the best of bad situations. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

● Forget about yourself. When you are good to others, you are best to yourself.

I would tack on my own addendum — a spiritual one — to Carnegie’s thoughts. There’s a real sense of peace in knowing that we’re directly connected with something bigger than ourselves. And I believe that “something” is Someone. The Creator who made me knows everything I’ll ever face and walks with me on my journey, regardless of what comes along. I hope you connect with Him, too.

(Asia Features)

(Jim Daly is a husband and father, an author, and president of Focus on the Family radio program.)