If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear? – Confucius
What will worrying do to help? Of what help is fear? Take a step back & breathe.
What does that mean?
To me, this quote isn’t about the fear of a tiger eating you, but about the much more insidious fears we have. The fear of not having done well. The fear of speaking in public.
We often fear little things, and our fear makes them bigger than they really are. This quote is about letting go of that fear, about checking ourselves, and if we have done our best, to let it go.
There will be situations where things don’t go as planned. There will be times when we wish things had gone better. But worry will not help. Being afraid will not help.
But first we must do our best, and then check within ourselves to make sure that we know all is well. What is done, is done. What is not done is not done. Worry and fear have no place in our mind, nor in our heart.
Why is stepping back from the edge important?
Yes, it sounds a bit dramatic, but think about the last time you were really wound up about something, really worried, really fearful of what might happen. Does stepping back from the edge seem a bit more appropriate in that context?
We have a tendency to make a mountain out of a mole-hill. Or we waste time, energy, emotion, and effort on worrying and being afraid, when we would have no reason to be afraid or worried if we had only put that effort into that about which we are fretting.
That means this quote has a predicate, unspoken. We must have done our best to have a quiet heart, to have nothing to worry about or about which to be afraid. And, I believe, that is ultimately what this quote is about. Doing our best, at the first, and letting the results be what they are.
By stepping away from the edge, by not getting trapped by our emotions, by acknowledging our part in shaping our future, we can reduce our worry, and our fear. Step back when you feel anxious. Step back when you are worried. Step back when there is an irrational fear. And breathe.
Where can I apply this in my life?
Some of us already have experience with what this quote is describing. Whether it is the fear of speaking in public (from back in grade school or into your adulthood) or something else equally worrisome, we were worried, we were afraid. But the question is, “Of what?”
If we have done our best to prepare, what more is there to do? Now if we haven’t done our best, if we are not prepared, then there may be something to worry about. But even then, will the worrying help us, or hinder us? Do you really want to waste the effort and time with worry and fear?
Even if we’re not completely prepared, we can still do something if our mind is clear. It might not be as much as if we had properly prepared, but we can still salvage something from the impending wreckage. If we allow worry or fear to seize our minds, the results are certain to be much less pleasant.
So in our lives, we should take a step back from the emotional turmoil and focus on what we are doing. If there is anything else which we can do, we should get to it immediately. If not, we should look in our heart and rate ourselves. Acknowledge our level of effort, and then send worry and fear away. They will do us no good in any case.
It helps, of course, to do our best up front. If we wait until the last moment and then throw something together, then you may think you have reason to worry, reason to be afraid. Perhaps. But those emotions just rob us of time, energy, emotion, and effort. That’s not good.
By doing our best up front, our heart (and our conscience) will be clear. No real reason for fear or worry. And doing our best up front is a simple matter of learning from our mistakes and a bit of self discipline. At least it’s that simple on paper. Chronic procrastinators need to put in a little more effort.
There will be anxious moments in all of our lives. But if we can take that moment, step back from the edge, and take a deep breath, we can assess our situation. If we have done everything, we should work on relaxing, not worrying.
It will take practice. Start with the little things in your life, and move up to the big things. You can do it, if you try. And try again. And again.
From: Twitter, @OprahsQuotes
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/confucius163844.html
Photo by KAZ Vorpal
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