Goal Setting Fridays - The Inefficiency of Worry

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Being a Planner also, often, naturally leads to another Truth:

I’m a Worrier.

I wish I wasn’t. My husband isn’t, and there are times when I envy him. When stressful times come, he has a faith and peace that I just have trouble harnessing. And let’s be completely honest: not just in “stressful times”. As a Worrier, I also have the unique gift of creating stressful times for not-yet-happened times.

For years, I’ve tried to strategize worry out of my life, with varying and inconsistent results. I’ve read essays and articles from various thought-leaders on how to eradicate worry from my mind. I’ve read all the Bible verses that speak to letting go of worry and trusting in God.

In theory, I get it. I really do. But in reality, WOW, it’s just so hard to simply stop worrying!

After all, my worry shows that the problem is important. My worry gives the situation weight and prominence in my thinking. It helps me prepare for difficult situations.

Doesn’t it? That what it feels like in the moment.

But am I really a better Planner, am I truly more prepared, because I worried?

Or, is there a way I could do the planning without the worrying?

Could less worry actually make me a better Planner?

Last week, my morning devotional contained this verse from Luke 12:

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?

I’ve read these words a hundred times, but for whatever reason, last week, this verse hit me in a brand new way.

There have been so many reasons to worry lately:

The war in Ukraine.

The end of Covid support for self-employed artists.

The end of mask mandates and restrictions, while Covid rises again in China.

Trying to find our pathway back to live performances in a whole new world.

The general worries of family and health and life in general.

Did I mention Ukraine?

We’re also in a unique time of transition: after two whole years of pivoting and trying to find creative ways to maintain our ministry, we’re now swamped with work! We’re making a swift transition from struggling-to-create-work into working overtime, and it’s hard!

On the flip side, the lockdowns taught us the value of incorporating Gentle Time in our lives - time for reading, walking, exploring our neighbourhood, and just having quiet time together. Now that the world is returning to “normal”, I steadfastly refuse to jump back into the rat race and abandon our Gentle Time.

The key to avoiding complete burnout will be Efficiency. 

I'll need every hour I can get, and I'll need to use them well.

So when I read this:

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?

The lightbulb clicked on:

Worry is a threat to my Efficiency.

Worrying isn’t going to help me do the things I want to do.

Worry won’t give me more hours - it’ll eat up my time.

Worry won’t give me more ideas - it will cloud my mind.

Worry won’t give me more freedom - it’ll make me operate from a place of fear.

Worry is a threat to my Efficiency.

Simply “giving up” worry never made sense to me, but for whatever reason, it all clicked this week.

I’ve now found a hardcore, practical reason to eradicate worry from my life.

Now, I’m not saying I’ve stopped worrying altogether. If anything, my problems and concerns have only grown over the past week.

But when worry comes, I have a solid reason to ask it to leave.

“Not now worry - I just don’t have time for you. 

I have bigger, better things to do, and they need my hours more than you do.”

So far, it’s working. I’ll let you know how it goes from here…

Are you a Worrier?

How do you reduce worry in your life?