“Some readers are going to snort at the idea of making so much over a hackneyed proverb like “Don’t cry over spilt milk.” I know it is trite, commonplace, a platitude. I know you have heard it a thousand times. But I also know that these hackneyed proverbs contain the very essence of the distilled wisdom of all ages. They have come out of the fiery experience of the human race and have been handed down through countless generations. If you were to read everything that has ever been written about worry by the great scholars of all time, you would never read anything more basic or more profound than such hackneyed proverbs as “Don’t cross your bridges until you come to them” and “Don’t cry over spilt milk.” If we only applied those two proverbs--instead of snorting at them--we wouldn’t need this book at all. In fact, if we applied most of the old proverbs, we would lead almost perfect lives. However, knowledge isn’t power until it is applied; and the purpose of this book is to remind you of what you already know and to kick you in the shins and inspire you to do something about applying it.” ~ Dale Carnegie from How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
That. Is. Genius.
We all seem to want the fancy new techniques or the check-me-out-I’m-really-smart intellectual philosophies. But I *love* the good ol’ fashioned obvious truths. And I equally LOVE the way Carnegie puts it here: “knowledge isn’t power until it is applied; and the purpose of this book is to remind you of what you already kjnow and to kick you in the shins and inspire you to do something about applying it.”
That pretty much sums up my intention with these Notes. Move my foot up from a kick in your shins to a kick in your butt and we’re there!
So, two things:
First, specifically about worry: What spilt milk are you crying over? What in your past are you STILL ruminating about, complaining about, losing sleep over, etc? (the relationship? The family argument? The job? The missed opportunity? The whatever. When, exactly, do you plan to move on? (NOW might be good. :)
Second, what piece of wisdom do you KNOW to be true but for whatever reason you have yet to EMBODY? Knowledge isn’t power until it’s applied. So, what’s the knowledge you need to apply? And when do you plan to apply it? (Now’s always good. :)
Knowledge I KNOW but have yet to apply:
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I will apply this knowledge starting: *NOW*
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