I hate lying awake worrying. It doesn't do any good. So I don't do it. - Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington

If we look up "worry" in the dictionary, we find it also means to "strangle or choke, to annoy or bother." Think about this for a moment. When we worry, we can strangle the flow of creative ideas that could help us solve the problem. Worry can certainly cause anxiety, and anxiety is defined as "worry or uneasiness about what may happen." It's easy to see that worrying is not the best way to deal with life.

Why do we worry? Do we need to lift our vision, our sight? The great Italian painter, sculptor, architect, and poet, Michelangelo, said: "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it!" Perhaps the size, the majesty, and the spirit that seem to jump right out of Michelangelo's wonderful sculpture 'David' is the artist's way of telling each of us to aim higher.

Speaking of aiming high, think of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel! Michelangelo worked every day for four years, painting the ceiling by lying on his back! And no word is written that the great artist worried about getting the job done! If we focus on the present and the situation in front of us, we realize that we have a choice. We can decide to stop worrying and choose more productive options. We can adopt more creative and inspiring attitudes, and more fruitful states of mind and healthier beliefs.

Worry can become a habit that tricks us into believing we are taking active steps to resolve a problem. Worrying wastes valuable time that could be used for finding ways to remedy a challenging situation creatively.