Don't Worry

As business owners, I’m sure we all worry from time to time. “Will we fail, will we make enough, any money? Will people like us, our product? Will they buy from us? Will we find the right employees? Will we make it?”

The list goes on and on about all the things we worry about and most of the time, the things we worry about don’t come true. I am also a firm believer in thinking somewhat positive. I don’t mean woo woo thoughts and not setting up your business (or even your life) to succeed, but at least having a more positive attitude and making room in your brain to think about what needs to be done to ensure success.  When we are consumed with worry, we don’t have much room for creative solutions or positive reinforcement.

When I was younger, like in my 20’s, I thought I had a lot to worry about. There were times (fortunately not that many!) that I would get depressed just “worrying” about all the things that could go wrong. Then one day, (and I know this sounds a little silly and possibly cliché), but I found this poem (I think in the book “Apples of Gold” which my brother gave me,) and it literally turned my life around. To this day, I repeat the lines of the poem whenever I start to feel myself worry or share the poem with friends and loved ones if they are in that worry state.

Here are the lines to the poem. It is credited to Eleanor H Porter.

Worry never climbed a hill.

Worry never paid a bill.

Worry never dried a tear.

Worry never calmed a fear.

Worry never darned a heel.

Worry never cooked a meal.

Worry never led a horse to water.

Worry never done a thing you’d think it oughta.

The poem gave me comfort and as simple as it was, it was all true. It just makes sense.

So if you find yourself worrying and there isn’t some action that you can take to alleviate your fears, then recite the poem and maybe it will take you from worry to success, or at least a calm state of mind to allow yourself to be be open to other possibilities.

xo, jan