Give your worries a can of whoop-ass, Part 3: Just do it!

This is Part Three in the Give Your Worries a Can of Whoop-Ass series. If you haven’t read Part Two, click here. 

Not thinking about something too hard and just do it

Sometimes the opposite of talking to yourself works just as well, too. If you find yourself spending too much time trying to talk yourself out of (or into) something, but nothing ever actually happens, it may be time to just pull the rug from underneath you and just do it. Don’t worry too hard about what might happen and trust yourself. If need be, you WILL find a way to fix problems as they come up. It definitely does appear to be risky, but you have to decide if what you’re worried about is worth conquering… if the results are worth the risk.

When you’re too busy acting on something and actually getting your hands dirty, there’s no time to worry… and so you won’t worry about it!

Don’t get caught up with fool’s gold!

The only problem I can see with this tactic is people get busy doing something that’s doing nothing to eliminate the very thing that’s worrying them in the first place.

For instance, unhappily married couples may keep themselves busy at work or they stay at work for longer hours just to avoid coming home and facing their spouses. Sure, you’re keeping yourself busy and you’re keeping your mind off your worries… temporarily. Then what happens when you come home? Why not jump the gun and confront your spouse instead of assuming what they are thinking? Actually get out there and spend time trying to figure it out. Get out there and try to help your spouse around the house. Or take a short weekend trip away from the kids or away from work. Something to get the tension off so you can communicate.

Hate your job? Don’t piss all your time away in destructive activities. Yes, TV is a great distraction, but it doesn’t help you find a new job! Neither does spending time and thousands of dollars barhopping or shopping or gambling. It’s no secret that people who hate their jobs compensate by accumulating crap they don’t need or blowing money they wouldn’t have blown otherwise.

Does it mean you can’t have any mindless fun? Of course not. But take the time to recognize what’s not working and focus most of your attention elsewhere. Instead, spend your time and money doing things that will get you out of your job. Learn a new skill, send out job applications, start a side business.

Energy-drainers to be wary of

Getting yourself to start acting on your worries is one thing. Keeping the momentum after you’ve already started is a whole ‘nother animal. Some things that can kill motivation for you are:

• Expecting overnight success and not seeing it. We live in an ‘instant’ society. Everybody wants everything now, now, now. Companies have done a good job of giving the illusion that everything can be had now. Instant meals, fast foods, fast-action pills for every problem imaginable… and so on. The reality is, anything worth having won’t come overnight. Anything that is ‘instant’ usually isn’t worth anything, doesn’t help you over the long run, or doesn’t last long.
• Not knowing your limits and taking on too much at a time. This has been rehashed a lot but it’s worth saying again. There’s so much information overload going on, with so many options and ideas floating around. It’s tempting to do everything at once, but chances are, you’ll just end up overwhelming yourself. And when you get overwhelmed… well, you get worried, you start dropping a bunch of balls and eventually give up all together. Take up only what you think you can and break them up to manageable pieces! (This is a hard one for me!)
• Prolonged inactivity. This can be the result of feeling overwhelmed or discouraged by the lack of results or from other people putting you down. Don’t allow it to happen. Make action a habit and make it sacred. Give yourself designated times and days off if needed, but otherwise don’t go too long without doing something and don’t allow yourself to make excuses as to why you can’t do it, whatever it is. (This is a hard one for me as well!)
• Letting other people and situations discourage you. There will always be people who are critical of what you’re doing or what you want to do. Some criticism is warranted, but most are not. One way to distinguish between good criticism and bad criticism is to determine the source. This means not only knowing WHO is saying it (do you trust them?), but WHY they might be saying it (are they talking from experience or INexperience? In either case, do they hate change?). Ultimately the decision lies with you. If you honestly aren’t hurting anyone, what’s there to lose? Keep chugging along. And don’t let the prospect of making mistakes stop you either.
• Uncooperative people and situations (like jobs or a bad business idea) that are more trouble than they’re worth. Sometimes what you have to do involves other people (such as in the unhappy marriage/relationship example). At times like this, the first step is to confront the other person and suggest a solution. The person may be skeptical or unwilling to do anything at first, but don’t dismiss them until after a few chances. If the situation is getting too unbearable and the person continues to be argumentative and/or uncooperative, cut your losses and move on. People do give up too easily, but if you’ve honestly tried everything you can think of, don’t let people bully you into thinking you’re a loser and a quitter. Life is too short to stay in stressful situations you can’t improve.
• Basically, allowing yourself to fall into a negative mindset again. Just like being negative takes work, being positive takes work as well. I think being positive is easier, but it still requires upkeep. Life isn’t static and there will be times you just don’t feel like being positive. It’s okay. Have your pity party for a while, then get up and get moving again. Don’t wallow in it. It helps to have a strong support network of friends and family as well as other techniques such as meditation and laughing. If you don’t have support, find some.

And, that’s all folks. Have anything to add or share? Have you run into obstacles that get in your way? Do you have trouble keeping momentum? Drop a line in the comments!

Stay tuned for more tips on giving your worries a can of whoop-ass!

• Part 1: Laughing
• Part 2: Analyzing the worst possible outcome
• Part 3: Just doing it
• Part 4: Deciding not to worry

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Related posts:

1. Give your worries a can of whoop-ass, Part 2: What’s the worst that could happen?
2. Give your worries a can of whoop-ass, Part 4: Deciding not to worry
3. Give your worries a can of whoop-ass, Part 1: Laughing
4. Get rid of dead weight: Channel frustration into creative ideas into action
5. Boredom and lethargy: A sign of the times (and the mind)