The Breakdown of: How to stop Worrying and start Living by Dale Carnegie

Worry is a complete waste of time. No problem has ever been solved by worrying about it. It is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do without taking you anywhere.
Problems can only be solved with rational thought and decisive action,Not Worry. 

Nearly a century ago, author Dale Carnegie taught public speaking courses in New York city. There he noticed how much his students struggled with unproductive worry.

 After learning a series of anti-worry techniques, he used his 
public speaking courses as a labratory to test the techniques. For the next five years, students from Carnegie's class tested his anti-worry techniques, and reported their effects from it, back to the class.

There are many remedies to combat worry and start living more productively but there are three worry remedies
that Carnegie found to be particularly effective. 

The first worry remedy will eliminate 90% of your worry. The second worry remedy will elminate 10% of your worry and
the third worry remedy will prevent worry from creeping back into your life.

Worry remedy #1

Anaylze your Worry: 
When you are sick with worry, take a piece of paper and write down two questions, What am I worried about? and What can I do about it?
Take your time and describe your worry in precise detail, then write down the different courses of action you can take to eliminate your worry. Write at least three courses of action. Then decide which of these actions has the highest percentage of a positive outcome.

Experience has proven that 50% of your worry dissappears when you make a clear, definite decision regarding your worry, and 40% of your worry goes away when you carry out that decision. The more action you take, the more your worry will fade away.

Worry remedy #2

Accept the worst and improve it:
Now to get rid of the remaining 10% of your worry, all you have to do is imagine and accept that the worst case scenario has occured. What happens next? You still have your health, your future, maybe even your family. Think of the positive things that will stay in your life no matter the outcome of this worry. Now, collect your thoughts and know that this worry is not the end of everything. 

By learning to live with the worst case scenario, this remedy has helped many people think clearly and find solutions
for the worry at hand.

Worry remedy #3

Live for today:
To eliminate future problems, we need to create a better today. Every morning when you wake up, wake like it's the
first day of your life. No yesterday's worry, only today's oportunities. 

Carnegie says 
'' The best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence, all your 
enthusiasm, on doing today's work superbly today. That is the only possible way you can prepare for the future.''

When you know you have achieved what you set out to do today, today's worry won't be transferred to tomorrow. Do your best to take care of today, and tomorrow will take care of itself! 

That was my take from the book. As always, I encourage you to read the book and let me know, how it helped you to stop worrying and start living.