Worry is full of “what if’s” and “maybe’s” and “might’s”. It has nothing to do with what will or will not happen. It’s like sitting there making up a worst-case scenario. Don’t do that.
We make up stuff
My sister is moving. There are many steps – selling her house, choosing a new space in an independent living complex, figuring out what to take and what not take. She has herself worried sick.
For no reason. It’ll all simply unfold. She’ll choose one of two apartments that are available. Her house is in good shape and is on the market.
And she’s nevertheless making up scenarios – bad scenarios. If we’re going to make up “what if’s”, make up some good ones!
What if she loves the new apartment and feels the relief of not having property to take care of and finds she feels safe and secure? What if her home sells easily and effortlessly? What if she keeps stumbling on pieces that are perfect for her new apartment? Wouldn’t that feel a whole lot better than those negative thoughts!
Monitor your negativity
It sure is easy to beat yourself up. A friend sent me a link to videos with some lovely stretching exercises and because I haven’t done much physical work recently, the exercises were “hard” for me because they asked more of my body than it was used to. But only in a very good way.
I had two ways to go – I could get very concerned that my body was so stiff and beat myself up for not moving more, or I could be grateful for the videos and make some positive decisions about where I’ll put those movements into my day.
Which one feels better? The positive one, of course.
Don’t settle for second best.
What you look for, you get. What you expect, you receive. Guess who gets to change all that. You do! Expect the best and it’ll be there. Settle for second best, and that, too, is what you’ll get.
See how easy it is? Change your thinking and your world changes with it.
Unfolding frees you up
The practice of unfolding is amazing. It releases you from striving and worrying and over-planning. When you trust that your life is unfolding exactly as it should and that you’ll never be given more than you can handle, you’re good to go – to let it all unfold.
Explore different ideas
That doesn’t mean you sit there like a bump on a log. You get to think and explore and learn new things, but be open to where that leads you. Be open to who shows up for you to serve, what shows up for you to do, and what unexpected places you find yourself in.
It’s an awesome, ongoing adventure, this unfolding life, and all it takes is to simply allow it to happen.
Let go
Although I’m a natural list maker, as I practice unfolding I learn to be more general in my intentions. For instance, I’d like to increase my knowledge of making video logs. That’s a much looser intention than a list of overwhelming steps I might need to take to reach that goal. With that general direction to flow in, I simply notice what opportunities show up and make a decision in the moment about how or if to take them.
When your life is open, great things appear
With a to-do list, your life can get very full. Without a list, your life can become very exciting. Which would you rather it be?
Cut down on your “things-you-should/could-do” list. Keep your to-do list as simple as you can.
It helps to choose only one important thing to do each day. It’s very freeing to effectively accomplish that one thing. Suddenly you have time open and can either choose another “important” thing to do or simply go exploring wherever your passion leads you.
Unfolding is a powerful way to let go of worry.
To Sing a Deeper Song Consider:
