Life is Mandatory, Worrying is Optional

“There is a solution to all of this--and it is right around the next corner. A few weeks from now you will not even be facing this problem. A few months from now, you will have forgotten you ever had it. A few years from now, you will wonder why you let yourself worry so much. I'm not trying to make light of it here. I just want to put it in perspective. Okay? Trust God here. Trust life. And breathe.”

… Neale Donald Walsch

I recently had an epiphany. It was quite simple. Life is mandatory, but worrying is optional. To some this may sound childish and silly; to others obvious; and yet to others easier said than done.

To those who think this thought is childish and silly, you may be right.  It is rather child-like to think it is optional to worry. Children have a far greater capacity than adults to live for the moment, to not get caught up in the future, to not worry. We adults could learn a thing or two from children!

To those who think that the saying ‘worrying is optional’ is obvious, you may be right. For these people they realize in every moment of every day we have a choice how we feel. And worrying is a choice; nothing more, nothing less. When we realize this simple, yet complex, truth we free ourselves from the anxiety and, sometimes, crippling fear associated with worry. We simply can choose to feel whatever it is we want to feel in any given moment. This is the gift of free will.

To those who think that ‘worrying is optional’ is easier said than done, you may be right and you are not alone.  Many of us, including myself, know that worrying is a choice; but sometimes we have difficulty mastering our mind to allow the light to enter and wash away our illusions. Recently, during a bout of worry, my perception of the worry shifted when I realized the following…

Any worry I may have on any given day WILL one day no longer exist.  Something WILL happen to remove the worry from my life.  Because any/all worries will some day no longer exist, I did not want to waste my life worrying about whatever it was I worried about.  I want to use my time for loving service…not devolving worry.  I decided then and there that no worry was worth wasting my time over because ALL worries will some day no longer exist.  These realizations DO NOT justify or condone irresponsible behavior.  These realizations simply allow me to free myself from the, sometimes, paralyzing grip of the fear that is at the root of my worries.

No matter what your worry(ies), you, and only you, can make your worry go away.  The most potent tool for making your worry go away is your mind. No ‘thing’ and no ‘one’ outside of you controls how you see the world. If you continue to choose to worry, that is okay.  Do not judge yourself. Just know you equally have the option of not to worry.

Shanti, Namaste, Agapé,