Have you ever been in a state of worry and distress that consumes you? Well I certainly have! Years ago, when my mentor Henry Conyers was alive, I remember calling him for advice one day.  I was dealing with a big problem, the context of which I don’t even remember now, but what I do recall clearly is what Henry asked me.  “Marie,” he said, “are you in ‘All is Well’ or ‘All is Worry’?”  As part of my previous work with him, you see, I’d been given specific tools to stay with the focus of ‘All is Well’, lest I fall into common worry patterns. Getting caught up in life as many of us do, however, I had neglected to call upon those tools prior to picking up the phone!

With today’s society full of angst and worrisome situations, Henry’s words are as relevant today as they ever were. Simply stated, worry takes over when we imagine something happening in the future (projection) and the picture we focus on is one in which things are not going well – the doom and gloom messages.  To stay balanced and at the top of our game, it’s important to become aware of this tendency, learn to focus away from worry and back into “All is Well.”  When we are balanced like that, we can make far better choices on how to deal with life’s big or little concerns.

I recently recalled that conversation with Henry when a coaching client called me for advice, distressed over organizational changes at her firm.  I began our conversation by asking her the same question he had asked me. “Are you in ‘All is Well’ or ‘All is Worry’?” As she paused to ponder, I could feel the impact those words had on her outlook. Instantly, she acknowledged that her self-talk had been all about worry and negative projections.  Up until that point, there had been no room for ‘All is Well’ given the extent of her mental worry and her emotional upheaval.

Whether it’s the climate of politics in the world today, a reorganization at work, or other challenges you face, if you find yourself in a state of worry, I encourage you to ask yourself that same pivotal question – Am I in “All is Well” or “All is Worry?” What you’ll discover is that ‘All is Well’ is not a state of denial of what is happening around you…quite the opposite. It is a place of balance, of presence. It’s where you remain calm and centered like a Yoga master who, in the middle of Life’s proverbial tornado, sees and hears what’s going on around him yet continues to breathe, to listen, and to discern what, when, and how to best respond. By remaining calm, your higher intellect and intuition have room to function.

Key to remember is this:  We are not responsible for what comes into our minds, but we are responsible for what we hold onto and what we focus upon.  It’s vital to learn to stop listening to those fearful messages that trigger stress and worry, and instead, tune into our Conscience and intuition. If you start to get upset or feel that you may fall into the worry trap, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and acknowledge “All is Well.”

Once you move out of the worry and negative projections, you’ll start to feel more in charge of your life again. You can learn to remain in that ‘All is Well’ peaceful perspective more and more often. And isn’t that a great place to be?

 

© 2018 Marie Moran