I Care, but I Don't Worry

    In my previous post, I mentioned my two guiding principles: "I am Third" and "I Care, but I Don't Worry." I explored the first (I am Third) and now I want to expand on "I Care, but I don:t worry."
    "I care, but I don't worry" is a companion to the serenity prayer most of us are familiar with:
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; The courage to change the things I can;,
And the wisdom to know the difference." As a long time manager in a variety of businesses, I have had to deal with a wide variety of "crisis" on a regular basis. I have learned that they all can be divided into two categories: Ones that I have direct control over and those that I do not. The ones that I have direct control over tend to be more important and need my attention and energy. Those that don't, I may need to continue to be aware of, but expending my time and energy on is not a wise investment. This doesn't mean I ignore these crisis, but if I can't do anything about them, why worry? So I care about all kinds of things, but if I can't have a direct impact on them,why waste the time and energy worrying about them? I have plenty of other things that I need to be taking care of.

Almost every workplace or family has a "worrywart". They are the "drama" people who are always in turmoil, usually about something that has nothing to do with them. They are always telling you how sad they are about something that has happened to someone else, or may happen,or they think maybe happening. They aren't happy unless they have something to be worried about or fearful of. Have you noticed that most of the time they are not a positive person to be around? And are amazed that you don't share their feelings?

We see this on both extremes of the political spectrum People who are so consumed with one issue or position that they fail to recognize anything else. They try to frame every other issue in terms of their issue or position. Nine times out of ten, the issue they are concerned about has no direct impact on their daily lives or they have no direct control over. A little dose of reality or understanding how to care, but not worry would be beneficial to both them and us.

I don't want to be perceived as putting them down or their causes. Bless them for dedicating their lives to these positions or causes, but they need to understand and appreciate that I and others might not feel as strongly as they do. It's not that I don't care, but I don't let it consume my life. We hear of people becoming very depressed to the point of being suicidal over the recent elections in this country. The next two years or four years may not be what you envisioned or hoped for, but you still have the most say over how your life will be for the coming years. Again, knowing which battles to fight for is important if you really feel you need to change the world.

Admitting that not everyone shares you views is a good starting spot. And then determining and understanding why they hod opposing views is the next step. Any strategist will tell you that unless you fully understand the opposition, you will never have a chance to defeat them. More on that the next time.........