Two weeks ago I got a call from a client who I have been working with for years. He said, his friend needed my help and he asked, “if I could work my magic”
I met with his friend in his office this past week from the second I walked on, I understood what was going on.
I could see it.
When he spoke I could hear it.
He kept saying over and over again as he paced the floor, how he spent all his time worrying. He felt he was not living his life anymore; he didn’t laugh, love, or spend anytime with his family. His marriage was falling apart and his was feeling alienated from his children and friends. He said, he was constantly worrying about everything and it was consuming his life.
Too many people that I meet spend the best years of their lives stuck in a state of constant worry. Too many people are constantly worrying about their jobs, careers, advancement, bills, wives, partners, and their kids. If we spend our time with regrets over yesterday, and worries over what might happen tomorrow, we have no today in which we live.
Worrying drastically robs us of our quality in life.
When we worry it makes us feel sick.
When we worry we cannot be productive.
I know what you are thinking—how can one stop worrying, how can one break the cycle of the worry habit?
There is a very simple but profound strategy to conquer the worry habit, the strategy is to “arrange worry breaks”. It means you actually schedule specific times to worry.
Arrange Worry Breaks by following these simple rules:
- Arrange a fixed time to have a Worry Break… no more than 30 minutes
- During the Arranged Worry Break: Wallow in your worry as much as you can. GO FOR IT! Be as dramatic and as traumatic as you need (30min limit)
- Time Up: As soon as the 30 minutes are up-You must train yourself to leave the troubles and worries behind and do something productive.
- Productivity : Take actions, even small ones to solve the problems in your personal or professional life. Read inspirational books, listen to empowering calls, learn something new, have meaningful and loving connections and conversations with others.
- If you find that during the day you are worrying. Take a few minutes to jot down on a piece of paper…what you are worried about and review it ONLY when you have your arranged worry break.
This powerful strategy will help you break from the habit of worrying constantly and eventually the habit will be eliminated.
If you incorporate Worry Breaks in your life, you can spend the rest of your time being more productive and worry free.
My new client will not solve his worry habit in one day, but I helped him give himself permission to focus his worry and release the other 23.5 hrs of the day…he loved the idea. He has already emailed me to tell me the tremendous difference I have made in his life.
Remember we are all a work in progress.
It takes the desire to change and simple strategies to move forward.
Lead From Within. Arrange Worry Breaks and choose to spend the rest of your time- doing the things that you enjoy.
N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
- 12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
- A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
- How to Succeed as A New Leader
- 12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
- 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
- The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
- The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.
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7 Responses
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October 29, 2014
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Don Tolman USA Team
17. Feb, 2011
And as Joyce Meyers puts it: “Worry is like a rocking chair—it’s always in motion but it never gets you anywhere.” As a member of Don Tolman USA Team, I won’t speak for Don, but I can speak for myself. I’m a huge worrier, but am learning that it gets nothing done. Love your site. Thx Please feel free to stop by: Don Tolman Self-Care Revolution
Sam
10. Jun, 2013
What a wonderful advice Lolly thank you for sharing it helps a lot to know that we can control & have power over our worries & live life to the fullest .
Dawood Chishti
18. Jul, 2014
Soothing words from a loving heart.
May your touching voice go a long way!
Daymond
01. Aug, 2014
What a wise way to drain worries for only a period of minutes, a difficult task but necessary.
Albert
14. Sep, 2015
Thank you for sharing your wisdom regarding worries.