Curious about Worry: Does Worry Ever Attack You? What Do You Worry About, If You Do?

Definition of Worry: To harass or beset with importunity, or with care an anxiety; to vex; to annoy; to torment; to tease; to fret; to trouble; to plague. To feel or express undue care and anxiety; to manifest disquietude or pain; to be fretful.

“It makes no sense to worry about things you have no control over because there's nothing you can do about them, and why worry about things you do control? The activity of worrying keeps you immobilized.” - Wayne Dyer, American psychologist

I pride myself on not being a worrier. When I am teaching my Yoga class, I always urge participants to clear their minds of worries, concerns, and unnecessary thoughts. And, I have always agreed with and practiced what Wayne Dyer states in the above quotation.

But, during this past week, I let worry attack me. On Wednesdays I teach three fitness classes in a row. After the first one, the young man who handles the desk at the club where I was teaching, came in and handed me a note to call the woman who is the regional director for the classes at the present club and another club where I teach. He said that there was some sort of problem with confusion at the other club. Not having time to call between classes – and they don’t allow us to make long distance calls and she is long distance – I waited until after the classes. Then, I got her voice mail.

Even though I know better, I had already started to worry through the second and third classes, and then the rest of the afternoon. Both Bo Bennett and John Lubbock express how I reacted. American businessman Bennett said, “While we are focusing on fear, worry, or hate, it is not possible for us to be experiencing happiness, enthusiasm or love.” And, British statesman Lubbock said, “A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work.”

When I finally made contact with the director, I discovered that her call was over a minor glitch and we had a delightful conversation. All that worry for nothing! So, I am writing this blog to remind all of us – and me in particular – of the futility of worry.

Let’s share some great quotations:

• “It is not the end of the physical body that should worry us. Rather, our concern must be to live while we're alive - to release our inner selves from the spiritual death that comes with living behind a facade designed to conform to external definitions of who and what we are.” - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, American psychologist
• “I think the most important thing for an artist is to not worry about what anybody else thinks. You just have to do what comes from your heart and your being and put it out there-that's true in any of the arts.” - Rosanna Arquette, American actress
• “Worry is a useless mulling over of things we cannot change.” - Peace Pilgrim, American activist
• “If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep.” - Dale Carnegie, American writer
• “Success is having to worry about every damn thing in the world, except money.” Johnny Cash, American musician
• “If you ever have the good fortune to create a great advertising campaign, you will soon see another agency steal it. This is irritating, but don't let it worry you; nobody has ever built a brand by imitating somebody else's advertising.” - David Ogilvy, American advertiser

And a couple more to take with you for your upcoming week:

“Do not worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older it will avoid you.” - Joey Adams, American comedian

“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.” - Leo Buscaglia, American author

I learned that we are all susceptible to worry – even when we know it doesn’t do us a bit of good. How does it affect you? And, how often? I would love to hear from you.

Curious about Standards: What Standards Have You Set for Yourself, Your Life, and Your Work?

Definition of Standard: That which is established by authority as a rule for the measure of quantity, extent, value, or quality. That which is established as a rule or model by authority, custom, or general consent; criterion; test. Having a recognized and permanent value.

“You can become an even more excellent person by constantly setting higher and higher standards for yourself and then by doing everything possible to live up to those standards.” - Brian Tracy, American author

I just finished the audio recorded book, “Think Like a Champion – An Informal Education in Business and Life” by Donald J. Trump with Meredith McIver. I have heard and read both complimentary and uncomplimentary statements about Trump, and will admit that I enjoyed and learned a great deal from his approach.

Throughout the book, Trump referred to his “Standard” and sticking to his “Standard.” After hearing his words, I started thinking about the standards that were stressed for me by my parents, teachers, and the environments in which I grew up and still live by.

I feel that we all set our own standards – hopefully high - and that it is not always a smooth life and road when we stick with them. However, when we are firm about them, we will find that our outcomes, relationships, and reputation will thrive. I know that after finishing the book, I do have a high opinion of Donald Trump and what he has accomplished.

I have a new daily journal now for recording goals, a list of what I am grateful for, and I am using it to also list my standards and the “higher and higher standards” that Brian Tracy is suggesting that we set for ourselves.

I also found some excellent quotations about standards, so let me share them with you:

• “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” - Ray Kroc, American businessman


• “When you're around someone good, your own standards are raised.” - Ritchie Blackmore, English musician


• “Let us be about setting high standards for life, love, creativity, and wisdom. If our expectations in these areas are low, we are not likely to experience wellness. Setting high standards makes every day and every decade worth looking forward to.” - Greg Anderson, American athlete


• “What matters is that you are doing what you think is right based on the standards which you hold.” - Walter Annenberg, American businessman


• “We have to set our own agenda, we have to set our own standards, we have to be very strong about what we want, we have to be very strong about our passion and if it's not right for you, you shouldn't do it just because you're advised by so-called geniuses.” - Jackie DeShannon, American musician


• “If there are flaws they are in ourselves, and our task therefore must be one not of redesign but of renewal and reaffirmation, especially of the standards in which all of us believe.” - Elliot Richardson, American lawyer

And, a few more with a bit of a different approach:

• “People mistake their limitations for high standards.” - Jean Toomer, American author


• “Sam Walton was a master storyteller who used illustrative stories to reinforce his cultural standards.” - Michael Bergdahl, American author


• “Soldiers, when committed to a task, can't compromise. It's unrelenting devotion to the standards of duty and courage, absolute loyalty to others, not letting the task go until it's been done.” - John Keegan, English historian


• “It's hard not to play golf that's up to Jack Nicklaus standards when you are Jack Nicklaus.” – Jack Nicklaus, American athlete


• “Standards of beauty are arbitrary. Body shame exists only to the extent that our physiques don't match our own beliefs about how we should look.” - Martha Beck, American author


• “The nicest thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from.” – Ken Olsen, American businessman

What are your standards? They rank up there with values and principles. I know that some gurus call them “golden bricks.” Make your list – and add a couple of new ones that are higher than the others.

Curious about Systems: We All Have Systems for Our Lives. What Are Yours? And Are They Working Effectively?

“The way to build a complex system that works is to build it from very simple systems that work.” - Kevin Kelly, American editor

“Man's striving for order, of which art is but one manifestation, derives from a similar universal tendency throughout the organic world; it is also paralleled by, and perhaps derived from, the striving towards the state of simplest structure in physical systems.” - Rudolf Arnheim, German artist

I know that I have written previously about “Systems.” However, I am thinking a lot about them because I just visited my daughter and her husband in Hawaii, where they have created and make use of systems in their successful Hawaiian basket business. The baskets, which sell abundantly, are beautiful and striking with each one being unique.

When I asked my daughter about how they produce and sell so many baskets, she answered immediately with the seven steps they take for each. They have devised the systems that work, starting with collecting the natural ingredients to the final mailing of the baskets to purchasers. She and her husband have the procedure in place, and each knows and fulfills their step and/or steps for which they are responsible. Note that there is overlapping of some of the steps.

This successful organization of systems started me thinking about my “Portfolio Career” – many careers at the same time – and how I do have systems in place for many of the careers and yet not for others.

For example, in teaching my group fitness classes I definitely follow systems and notice that my students enjoy the organization. When it comes to writing, I have systems in place for my e-newsletters, but not so for my e-books which lag behind. I am developing systems for handling social media networking and one-on-one coaching. I also realize that once I develop systems for each of my careers, I become more and more productive in that area.

What about you?

Let’s share some of the great quotations I found:

• “A cardinal principle of Total Quality escapes too many managers: you cannot continuously improve interdependent systems and processes until you progressively perfect interdependent, interpersonal relationships.” - Stephen Covey, American businessman


• “A creative element is surely present in all great systems, and it does not seem possible that all sympathy or fundamental attitudes of will can be entirely eliminated from any human philosophy.” - Morris Raphael Cohen, Russian philosopher


• “All physical systems can be thought of as registering and processing information, and how one wishes to define computation will determine your view of what computation consists of.” - Seth Lloyd, American educator


• “Human beings, viewed as behaving systems, are quite simple. The apparent complexity of our behavior over time is largely a reflection of the complexity of the environment in which we find ourselves.” - Herbert Simon, American scientist


• “Systems are to be appreciated by their general effects, and not by particular exceptions.” - James F. Cooper, American novelist


• “In simple terms, we are aligning our business today with the way we believe future systems are going to be designed, acquired and maintained.” - Phil Condit, American businessman

And a couple more for you to chew upon:

“I believe that our very survival depends upon us becoming better systems thinkers.” - Margaret J. Wheatley, American writer

“In my case, I used the elements of these simple forms - square, cube, line and color - to produce logical systems. Most of these systems were finite; that is, they were complete using all possible variations. This kept them simple.” - Sol LeWitt, American artist

So, how about you? Do you have systems that work for you? We would love to have you share them.

Curious about Ambiguity and Being Ambiguous: Do You Make Use of It? And, How Does It Serve You, Your Life and Your Business?

Definition of Ambiguous: Doubtful or uncertain, particularly in respect to signification; capable of being understood in either of two or more possible senses; equivocal; as, an ambiguous course; an ambiguous expression.

“All knowledge is ambiguous.” - J. S. Habgood, British game developer

Definition of Ambiguity: The quality or state of being ambiguous; doubtfulness or uncertainty, particularly as to the signification of language, arising from its admitting of more than one meaning; an equivocal word or expression.

“The purpose of narrative is to present us with complexity and ambiguity.” - Scott Turow, American novelist

Complexity and ambiguity do go “hand in hand.” I feel that if we examine our lives and our work, especially during our current high speed existence, we will discover that our days are filled with both of them. And yet, years and years ago, Leonardo da Vinci embraced them. One of my favorite books, Michael Gelb's "How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci," includes a chapter called, "Sfumato: A willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox and uncertainty."

You will find an excellent article about this, written by Linda Dessau, by clicking HERE

How do you feel about ambiguity? Do you make use of it? I am a storyteller, and often after I have finished telling, listeners will ask, “Was that true?” Rather than disappointing them and, I feel, hurting the story, I will answer rather ambiguously. “What do you think?” or “Every story has some truth.”

As you can imagine, the quotations for ambiguous and ambiguity also provide examples of both. Have fun thinking and chewing on them and their wisdom:

• “I was perceiving myself as good as a man or equal to a man and as powerful and I wanted to look ambiguous because I thought that was a very interesting statement to make through the media. And it certainly did cause quite a few ripples and interest and shock waves.” - Annie Lennox, Scottish musician


• “There is no greater impediment to the advancement of knowledge than the ambiguity of words.” - Thomas Reid, Scottish philosopher


• “I look for ambiguity when I'm writing because life is ambiguous.” - Keith Richards, British musician


• “Take advantage of the ambiguity in the world. Look at something and think what else it might be.” - Roger von Oech, American creativity writer


• “Journalists do not like to report on uncertainties. They would almost rather be wrong than ambiguous.” - Melvin Maddocks, British writer


• “Neurosis is the inability to tolerate ambiguity.” - Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychologist

And, two more for the road:

“I think great art is always ambiguous and can't be pinned down.” - Stephen Rea, Irish actor

“You know, people who almost - yeah, there's a slight reluctance there - but there's also an ambiguity. What are their morals? What is their code of living. What are they really doing here. And it is just interesting because it is never black or white.” - Matt Robinson, American actor

So, how do you feel about being ambiguous and using ambiguity? Don’t hesitate to be and use both in your responses.