Use Worry As A Trip Wire To Grow Your Self

Hi Gary, I think one of the main reasons why we see so much of this is that irrational fears are set in place for the What ifs. The events in life are changing rapidly and truthfully the mind can synthesize so much but it often wants evidence to continue. In lieu of evidence we pop in the what ifs and the subconscious mind treats these as though they were facts and processes them. In so doing the subconscious mind also will try to make them our state of reality. Now it takes a great a deal of effort to change this. Or we just move on and forget. But the mind doesn't and often it will use the stored bits of non-fact to synthesize and process other things that are related. Eventually the conscious mind is overwhelmed with these thoughts and it can manifest itself in very strange and uncomfortable  ways.

Hey Gary.......it's all in the perception. Most of the stuff we dream up doensn't exist and the other   is what is.  It think it takes practice to give up the useless use of energy. 

Gary - I think this is great advise and I worry to much, it runs in my family and that's why I am headed to California for four days to hike in the redwoods & along the beach! Great post!

This is a really good analogy Gary.

I have always believed that there needs to be a moment in between every action and reaction.  The key is to make sure that the pause of trip wire doesn't turn into a paralysis.

What, me worry?

Oh deer! It's one thing to have a sunny disposition and your head slightly in the clouds, but another thing altogether if you aren't also watching your step. Now, I wish I could find a favorite cartoon (with characters looking very similar to the species in your illustration here) of a guy wearing a bomb squad shirt and carefully sitting next to some explosives, carefully concentrating on deactivation...then there's this guy (his bomb squad buddy), approaching him from behind, blowing up a brown paper bag that he is about to make BANG!! I don't rightly know why that is so darn funny to me...oh the element of surprise...that's what worries me!

Gary...

I just wrote a put where this might have applied ... My worry was indeed a tripwire! Thanks for the post.

 @ Mara!!  LOL!!

Hi Gary, a little healthy worry is good, I agree, it can change our course.

Well goodness, your post is quite timely as I had two worry situations today that activated a trip wire. LOL. I look at it as some things just need more 'thinking about' than others and the trip wire activates the thinking process.

Tripwire or quagmire......:-) Just depends doesn't it? :-)

Great post Gary. Worrying is counter productive. I usually just get ticked off and go for a bike ride down to the Cocoa Beach Pier.

gary,

I love your trip wire post..always enlightening! We do need to have some worry ~ keeps us in check as long as it doen't take over!

Hi Gary it is always a pleasure visiting your blog, I so wish I had more time to visit with friends.  Worry is a trip wire that can serve us well. After all you are not dead, Yet ..) love that line.

I am the  queen worrybug- but a glass of wine always helps me look at things in a much clearer light. 

Hi Gary!
What a great analogy! I am not a worrier.  My life has a couple of categories...the things I can do something about (which I think about, but don't worry) and things I can't do anything about (in which my faith comes into play).  I know it sound simplistic, but for me, it pretty much works.  When I do find myself worrying, I stop (which is where the trip wire comes into play) and decide which one of my 2 categories it fits into...then I stop worrying.

Gary, As a former worrier, I finally gave it up.  It didn't do me much good in life.  Thinking out solutions in advance can help and that's mostly what I try to do...in case! 

Worrying doesn't pay very well!  It's not for me!

Mary

I tend to worry about things too much.  I will try to focus on approaching worry as you have suggested.

Gary - I am swiftly coming to the belief that you may just be one of the greatest philosphers of all time:-) 

From the time I was a small kid, there has been this thin veil between my having some conjured fear in my head, before I  became confronted with the actual reality to overcome.  After reading The Secret, I almost think I have this ability to call stuff like that in.  However, the upside has come from confronting these fears (which often become reality), and one by one overcoming them.

One of my grandchildren was telling me about a dream they had the other night.  In the dream, a bear had been chasing him. . .I told him, the next time that happens, turn around, look at the bear in the eyes, and ask it for it's power!

Gary, using worry as a trip wire is good if you use it in a positive way.  Use it to cahnnel your thought on how to make things better.

Love the cartoon.  Being a Deer Hunter, I understand the comment very well!