How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

by Dale Carnegie

Do I tend to put off living in the present in order to worry about the future, or to yearn for some “magical rose garden over the horizon”? Do I sometimes embitter the present by regretting things that happened in the past—that are over and done with? Do I get up in the morning determined to “Seize the day”—to get the utmost out of these twenty-four hours? Can I get more out of life by “living in day-tight compartments”? When shall I start to do this? Next week?... Tomorrow?... Today?

It is the failure to arrive at a fixed purpose, the inability to stop going round and round in maddening circles, that drives men to nervous breakdowns and living hells.

Basic Techniques in Analyzing Worry RULE 1: Get the facts. Remember that Dean Hawkes of Columbia University said that “ half the worry in the world is caused by people trying to make decisions before they have sufficient knowledge on which to base a decision.” RULE 2: After carefully weighing all the facts, come to a decision. RULE 3: Once a decision is carefully reached, act! Get busy carrying out your decision—and dismiss all anxiety about the outcome. RULE 4: When you, or any of your associates are tempted to worry about a problem, write out and answer the following questions: What is the problem?