I posted a blog post with the lyrics of one of the favorite songs the other day. You can view it here.
I said that I’d be blogging about specific elements of the song in a few days. Well, here we are are a few days later. Here are the lyrics we’re going to focus on today:
“Don’t worry about the future or worry that know that worrying
Is as affective as trying to solve an algebra equation
By chewing bubble gum
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things
That never crossed your worried mind
The kind that blindsides you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday
Do one thing every day that scares you, sing
Don’t be reckless with other peoples’ hearts
Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours, floss
Don’t waste your time on jealousy
Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind
The race is long and in the end, it’s only with yourself”
Recently, I’ve learned that worrying is super silly. It doesn’t accomplish anything. It only paralyzes you. Worrying signals that there MIGHT be danger ahead. But just because something is dangerous, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it. A lot of times, we only focus on the bad things that could happen and that paralyzes us from taking action.
Consider this: Name one thing that changed your life for the better that didn’t have risk or danger associated with it. You probably can’t think of anything. Literally every action you take comes with risks and danger. Driving in a car. Walking down the street. Eating. Flying in an airplane. A new relationship. The list goes on and on.
I took a procrastination break and checked Facebook while I was writing this post. It’s quite interesting that the first post I saw was one from my friend, Zhenya Noble that said:
“Anything scares me, anything scares anyone, but really after all considering how dangerous everything, is nothing is really very frightening” — Gertrude Stein
It doesn’t help that in our society, all we do is focus on the bad. You don’t often hear stories that bring a smile to your face on the news. We have become a fear based society.
You have to snap out of that mindset. Turn off the news. Protect yourself from the negativity of the world.
It’s perfectly okay to be concerned about the possible risks of a particular action. But don’t let those risks consume you and prevent you from acting. You should only concern yourself with the risks so that you can properly protect yourself from them. Don’t let risks cause inaction.
Just like the song notes, you can’t protect yourself from EVERY risk out there. Things will happen that you never thought to prepare for. And that’s perfectly okay. Fix the problem, make the necessary adjustments and move forward.
The song also makes an interesting point about competition with others. Don’t be jealous of what anyone else has. Everyone goes through cycles. Sometimes you’re on top. Sometimes you’re on the bottom. Sometimes you’re somewhere in between. Don’t compare yourself to other people. Set high standards for yourself and do your best to live up to those. Everyone is on their own path.
The song also says: “Do one thing every day that scares you…”
Go out and do something that scares you RIGHT NOW!