Worry Not

As one of the most academically and vocationally important times of my life approaches, I find that my thoughts tend to wander endlessly as I lay down to sleep at night, only to reach the same dead end again and again: What job will I have? Where will I live? Will I even pass my exit exams? ... Over and over the same questions to which I have no answer repeat themselves and result in relentless tossing and turning which only lends to a sore back and weary eyes in the morning.

With the season of Lent upon us, and countless study sessions with friends for the aforementioned exams, I have found myself in a state of reflection. I picked up a book my mom gave to me for Christmas ("Things I Want My Daughters to Know") and read a few chapters out on the balcony as the sunlight warmed my cold nose and Tanner watched expectantly for squirrels...

A few chapters really had some words of wisdom that I thought I would share considering so many of my friends are, I feel, in the same boat when it comes to facing a future that is truly a giant sea of unknowns. Interestingly enough, the first chapter is about finding a job that you love. (Well, we're working on it already, ok?!) "Keep striving for work that really fits the big picture. Aim high....find work that you love that allows you financial independence.... We shouldn't merely work for a living: we should work to make a life." It's inspiring to feel that this moment of my life is nearing. It takes a little bit of worry out of the situation when I am comforted by the fact that I believe I'll love the career I'm about to jump (albeit feeling somewhat lost) into.

So here I was after chapter 1 feeling inspired, yet afraid. Excited, but unsure. And then came the chapter on "thinking positively: you will live longer than a pessimist." Cue sappy music and television infomercials for books about happiness here - believe in the power of happiness! Positive thoughts breed positive action, yada yada yada. My mom's words came ringing into my ears, and I have to admit... I was a little skeptical. But in all honesty, the chapter truly spoke straight to my heart (if that's where worry comes from?) and has me thinking about the next few months in a completely fresh way. Allow me to indulge and hit on some of the highlights that I feel you all may benefit from as well:

• "You are the only one who chooses what you think." 
• No one can tell me to be happy, and even if they did, it most likely wouldn't change the way I feel. It all has to start with me - I have to wake up each day and make the choice to be happy and to believe that this life is good and full of purpose. I have to make the decision to let bad things be a source for complaint and discouragement, or ask myself what I can do to change the situation. There is only so much in this world we can change or control (very little, in fact), but we can control our reaction and the positive or negative thoughts we allow ourselves to engage in. 
• "Paint the walls of your mind with many beautiful pictures." - William Lyon Phelps
• I think this quote is just beautiful. It brings up images of light and warmth and joy. It reminds me of Philippians 4:8 and the whole idea of "garbage in, garbage out". I have to think of good and positive things, not dwell on the things that can go wrong. In elementary school we read a book about a boy playing basketball and for some reason I've always remembered it... He had to visualize the basketball going through the hoop in order to make the basket. I've honestly kind of thought that the idea of "visualization" was a little new-agey (even for me), but when you think about it, it kind of makes sense. Like Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right." 
• "Formulate a positive philosophy and search, not for the ideal later, but for the actual good now." 
• I consider myself somewhat of a dreamer; I tend not to live in reality sometimes. So, I like to think about the ideal future of my life. I need to be reminded to think of the now. In another book I'm reading (The Happiness Project), the author states that, "what you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while."
• "Worry is exacerbated by exhaustion and stress."
• It's an endless cycle. It's hard to stop... but it's only going to make things worse.
• "Ask yourself what thoughts increase your vitality, elevate your mood, uplift your spirits, and bring you closer toward enlightenment."
• Back to Phil 4:8 - find out what makes you HAPPY and think about those things....
• "Optimists will live 19% longer than pessimists."
• That's about an extra 15 years if the pessimist lives to be 80 (and if we all make it past the impending doom of 2012...)
• "Being positive is a habit to be developed that then becomes the bedrock of your authenticity."
• It takes time. Negativity breeds negativity, and positivity breeds positivity. It starts with me. The more I respond with positivity and proactive thoughts, the less I will even have to think about it. It will become habit.

All of this is to say, we can only do what we can do in a situation. Worrying will get us nowhere. So when it comes to our tests, our jobs, our life, we have the choice to let it bring us down or to find a way to respond that will make our life worth living. And immediately, this makes me think of Matthew 6:27, "Who of you by worrying can add a single year to his life?" ... none of us. We have to have faith and believe that we have been given our life in order to grow, to learn, to enjoy, and to share with others. Seek out happiness, love life, and embrace the power that positivity can have upon our needless worry.