Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Concern but Don't Worry

“There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem, and a concerned person solves a problem.” - Harold Stephens

"Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression." - Pythagoras


Worry is just about the worst form of mental activity there is - next to hate, which is deeply self destructive. Worry is pointless. It is wasted mental energy. It also creates bio-chemical reactions which harm the body, producing everything from indigestion to coronary arrest, and a multitude of things in between.

"A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work." - John Lubbock


Worry is like a rocking chair - it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere. It is the darkroom in which negatives are developed and is the most unproductive of all human activities.

Worry a little every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes anything.

"Only one kind of worry is proper: to worry because you worry too much."


Health will improve almost at once when worrying ends. Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.

Do you have a lot of worries? How do you overcome it?

Photo by SamH one taken from this source

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20 comments:

Sue said...

Hrm, Sam,

You really know how to make me THINK, hehehe. I realize now I should have more concern. You know, my trip taught me the same thing you have said here, worry is pointless. I worried I would die, but what good did that do? I did not die, and if I had, I could not have changed it. hehehe. Thank you, Sam, for another wonderfully insightful post!

lilifxt said...

hi sam thx for great post u really showed me the difference btn worry and concern that inspired me coz i faced some worries last week and after reading your post i decided to look for action to solve them instead thx again

best wishes

WaterLearner said...

Hi Sam,

A good one. There indeed is great difference between concern and worry!

Blessings!

Trix said...

I havent been able to visit any sites lately, my isp is that bad...even my blog posting had to be neglected.I see that there is quite a lot of excellent posting here that I missed! Now I can take a little coffee break and catch up on your interesting sites, Sam.. :)
I have to say, with regard to this post, I do worry too much...and there have been countless times where I wasted too much time worrying needlessly !I agree that its wasted mental energy but I still do it, its easy if you dont put a check on your mind.I see from reading this that I should try practicing the art of being concerned, which is far more constructive.I shall keep it in mind, next time I start to worry needlessly,Concern seems the far better option ! Have a great day,Sam and thanks for this post ! :)

Anonymous said...

Hi, jumped in here from Janice Ng's blogs.
Great blog you have here. Very inspiring and this post really hit me now. I sort of feeling rotten now for too much worry which i think really is not necessary.
Guess will learn a lot from here, so i would like to add you to my blogroll. It would be an honor if i can...

--Arlene

Jennifer Jones said...

Hi Sam,

I've missed you! ;-)

Nice post...

I tend to have days were I worry way too much.. .thank you for the reminder to be concerned and take action!

Warmest wishes my friend,

Jen

Sam Chan said...

Hi Sue,

I am glad this little post are able to make you think. Thanks for your valuable thoughts. Indeed, it is pointless being worrisome.

Blessings to you, Sue!

Sam Chan said...

Hi Lili,

Thanks for the feedback. I sincerely hope this post are able to help you to look at worries differently.

Best Wishes

Sam Chan said...

Hi Karen,

Thanks for your continuous support.
Blessings to you.

Sam Chan said...

Hi Jesse,

Thanks for making your effort to visit my blogs even though you had problems with your ISP. I really appreciate that.

Many of us (including me), have lots of worries. It is easy to say not to worry. However, the very moment we start to think of it, it is already worry. Thus, we need to learn to focus on the solutions to worry less.

Blessings to you, Jesse

Sam Chan said...

Hi Arlene,

Thanks for your kind and motivating words. I am glad that you liked my blog.

You are welcome to add my blog to your blogroll. I believe I could learn from you too.

Feel free to share your comments / views in my blogs. Do let me know if you think the content needs improvement. Really appreciate whatever feedback.

Best wishes

Sam Chan said...

Hi Jennifer,

Welcome back! I am glad you find this post can serve as a good reminder. We will age faster when we worry too much.

Don't worry be happy!
My Best Wishes to you my friend.

surjit singh said...

You are right Sam. Worrying will not take us us anywhere. It simply drains our energies and our creativity. I like the quotes.
Thanks for the reminder.
God bless you.

Anonymous said...

Good Post. Worry is like negative energy and Concern is like positive energy. We need to convert this negative energy to positive energy. Let's start to concern more about our family, friends, society, nation and this world.

Open Your Mind to Prosperity

Sam Chan said...

Hi Surjit,

Thanks for your continuous support. I am glad that you liked the quotes.

Let's stop worrying.
Best wishes.

Sam Chan said...

Hi Honman,

Thank you for your insight and wisdom! You are right! We should convert the negative energy of worry to positive energy of being more concern for one another.

Best Wishes

mr fong said...

Hi Sam, I agree with you fully that worry is a destructive force that deviates us from our aim, and adds on in a cumulative manner that eventually seeps through and invade the person's inner being.

However, hope you could explain more to me on how concern is of a contrasting nature? :) I don't really understand, somehow concerned feels as an abstract idea or description of an attitude to another being.

Take care and have a great weekend soon!

Sam Chan said...

Hi Winston,

You got it right! Worry is destructive.

Concern is defined in dictionary as a matter of interest or importance. It is someone or something that you should pay attention to because they are important. It is a good virtue because you remember and put in your heart to seek ways to show that you really care or concern.

An example is when exam is coming nearer, there is no point of worrying because worry doesn't help. But you concern and make every effort to study well and find out what else need to be done.

Another example is Janice Ng's brother health condition. Everybody being a friend of Janice is very concern and would like to find out from Janice her brother current condition and offering prayer for his speedy recovery.

Got it? Hope that helps.
Best Wishes

Anonymous said...

I read all lines but I must be blind, I just can not stop the worry and concern/ I have worry and concern for my family, they seem to go the wrong direction in life, I know becouse I have been there, my advice goes amiss and I worry even more/ I know it get,s me no where but what can I do

Sam Chan said...

Hi Anonymous,

The best solution is from the Bible. Solution from human wisdom won't work at times.

Matthew 11:28 BBE (Bible in Basic English)
Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighted down with care, and I will give you rest.

In Matthew 6:25-34

Matthew 6:25-34 (NKJV)
Do Not Worry
[25] “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?[26] “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?[27] “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?[28] “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;[29] “and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.[30] “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?[31] “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’[32] “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.[33] “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.[34] “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.


Hope you can find the solution that you are looking for.