How to Stop Worrying and Start Living Summary – BookiesTalk

Dale Carnegie author of How to Stop Worrying and Start Living says how one can conquer overthinking, anxiety, stress, and even depression in simple steps. The book is filled with lots of research and stories which will make your mind engaged at the same time, you will learn life lessons from the author.

The book was originally published in 1947 and it has been revised.

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living Summary

I discovered Dale Carnegie when I read his How to win friends and influence people book after this, I come to know about How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, and believe me this was life-changing for me, and still, it helps a lot when I’m stuck somewhere in my work or even in life.

I’m sure that after reading this book if you apply only one or two things in your life then you will able to solve any problem that might be facing right now.

The only thing is, apply the things in your life because that’s what Dale wanted when he wrote this book.

So today let me share with you some of my notes from the book along with some of the lessons which will change your life.

A Magic Formula For Solving Worry Situations

Firstly, let’s talk about three formulas to conquer overthinking, anxiety, stress, and even depression.

• Step 1: Analyzed the situation fearlessly and honestly and figured out what was the worst that could possibly happen as a result of this failure. No one was going to jail me or shoot me. That was certain.
• Step 2: Imagine the worst that could ever happen to humans, now put yourself there and see, whether the problem you have is bigger than that or not.
• Step 3: Now, if you can understand that, situation then you will come out but if you keep blaming yourself for everything then things will get bigger and bigger the same way, you Imagined that Human. For any kind of problem, there is only one solution which is admitting what you have done and accepting and finding the solution for it.

If I talk about myself,

When I feel, I have a problem or I’m thinking too much about my work then I just go out for a run, take a bath, or visit the garden to clear up my head.

This helps a lot, you will have YOU time and your mind will get relaxed by taking a small break.

First Thing You Should Know About Worry

If you want to keep worry out of your life, do what Sir William Osier did: Why not ask yourself these questions, and write down the answers?

• Do I tend to put off living in the present in order to worry about the future?
• 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?

Now, answer these questions with 100% honesty because no one is hearing, you’re the only one who will hear all the answers, so don’t lie about anything.

Poem by Kalidasa

I found this beautiful poem in this book which I will add below while just don’t read it, try to understand it.

Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life
In its brief course Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth
The glory of action
The splendor of achievement.
For yesterday is but a dream 
And tomorrow is only a vision,
But today well lived makes yesterday a dream of happiness 
And every tomorrow a vision of hope. 
Look well, therefore, to this day!
Such is the salutation to the dawn.
-by Kalidasa

Rules to Follow

RULE 1: If you want to avoid worry, do what Sir William Osier did: Live in “day-tight compartments”. Don’t stew about the future. Just live each day until bedtime.

RULE 2: The next time Trouble with a capital T- comes gunning for you and backs you up in a corner, try the magic formula of Willis H. Carrier:

• a. Ask yourself, “What is the worst that can possibly happen if I can’t solve my problem?”
• b. Prepare yourself mentally to accept the worst if necessary.
• c. Then calmly try to improve upon the worst-which you have already mentally agreed to accept.

RULE 3: Remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms of your health. “Businessmen who do not know how to fight worry die young.”

Will the magic formula of Willis H. Carrier solve all worry problems?

No, of course not. Then what is the answer?

The answer is we must equip ourselves to deal with different kinds of worries by learning the three basic steps of problem analysis. The three steps are.

1. Get the facts.
2. Analyze the facts.
3. Arrive at a decision and then act on that decision.

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living Lessons

• Only you can solve your problems, you can’t rely on someone. So solve whatever problem you have and fix them because you can.
• Stress won’t give you anything, so be aware of yourself and see how can you improve from this.
• Overthinking is a common problem, everyone has it. So ask yourself one question, why you’re thinking about certain things too much?
• Life is not easy but it’s not hard either.
• Don’t use the depression word again and again because you don’t even know what depression is.

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living Quotes

“the best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence, all your enthusiasm, on doing today’s work superbly today. That is the only possible way you can prepare for the future.”

“No matter what happens, always be yourself.”

“Let’s not allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. Remember “Life is too short to be little”.”

“You can sing only what you are. You can paint only what you are. You must be what your experiences, your environment, and your heredity have made you. For better or for worse, you must play your own little instrument in the orchestra of life.”

“if you want to keep happiness, you have to share it !”

“Nobody is so miserable as he who longs to be somebody and something other than the person he is in body and mind.”

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living Review

I have learned a lot from this book and I will go on and on but again, I won’t because I really want you to read How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, the book will help you a lot with all kinds of problems.

Now, it’s not like, this is a perfect book, you might find some repetitive things but put those things aside and focus on things that matter the most.

Apply one or two things from this book and see what kind of changes you see.

Do read it…

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