THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD

THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD

 

Written by Eric Plaut

Have you ever felt that the weight of the world was on your shoulders? Sometimes this analogy makes us feel like Atlas. When people are dealt with a burden like this, we can tend to lose our sense of direction. Fear can emerge from this conundrum, causing us to worry that we have nowhere to go—in other words, having no destination for us to get to.

Our worries tend to vary with each of us. It could involve a job search, work, family, friends and/or relationships with others. Anxiety and our worries tend to feel like a burden to us. Most people don’t wish to delve into their emotional luggage with others. But in this case, it’s perfectly all right to confer with a small handful of family or friends whom you trust.

I’ve once heard how someone had so much emotional luggage. He joked that all of it could have overloaded the baggage train at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Angst, when it doesn’t get resolved, tends to follow people around, however. It can bring them to a standstill when they don’t know what to do about it.

So where do we turn to?  One idea is to write down both of our worries and fears on a piece of paper. This way it not only gets out of your system, but you can see what needs to be done.  It’s important for us to visualize—see—what we’ve written on paper. That way you need to look at what needs to get done.  It’s that simple.

But writing it down and looking at what needs to be done is only the simple part of the equation. Now it’s time to roll back our sleeves and to get ready and do the work. Remember what the inventor Thomas Edison said about his definition of the word genius? According to Edison, he said that: “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” We all have something we excel at.  Why not try and find out what it is?

In other words: If you’re serious about getting something done, get ready to do a lot of work.  You might have to do it over and over again until you either get it right or you find out what you’ve been looking for. Remember while Edison failed over 10,000 times to make the incandescent light bulb, he was never discouraged when it didn’t work. He just kept on working until he got it right. “Why have I not failed in making the light bulb?” he once asked a friend. “It’s because I’ve discovered 10,000 ways that it wouldn’t work!”

Now it’s time for you to get back to your list of things to do. Sometimes it’s best to either write down the most important item first to the least one necessary. Others might recommend writing down a list of tasks from the smallest one to the greatest. Only you can decide what works best for you. It might be wise to write out your to-do list either weekly or daily. If you write out a daily one, just make certain to write out today’s goals the night before. That way you’ll have them already written on paper when you wake up the following morning. You’ll already have a head start!

Another important reason to have this to-do list is to write down one’s worries and fears. The late Zig Ziglar once had an acronym for FEAR—which he referred to as “False Evidence Appears Real”. Sometimes it’s important to just do the job (think of that endorsement for Nike shoes!) Once it’s done, you can look back on this troublesome task with a sense of accomplishment! However, remember that no matter how big or small the project is, break it down into steps.  Starting at Point A (and picturing the finished work in your mind at Step Z), the journey itself down the road is something to look forward to each and every step of the way.

One thing to remember is: don’t ever try to go around your problems or ignore the tasks you’d like to accomplish. You’ll never get anything done that way. There may or may not be any shortcut for one to take.  It all depends on the issue at hand.

As mentioned before, you may want to talk to a family member or a mutual friend about whatever is troubling you. For health questions though, please contact your primary-care physician. As for questions on the job hunt or career changes, go talk with a counselor. Sometimes one needs to contact a professional, especially with these two latter issues. They could save one time and money if brought up with the right person in the first place. And time, to some, is the new currency.

In conclusion, don’t feel burdened by too many things in your life. Writing down one’s thoughts, ideas and fears can help one feel less troubled once they see what needs to get done. Talking it out with a friend or a family member can help as well as feel like they have a sounding board. Make certain to divide a task—whether large or small—into steps. Remember that it isn’t the destination that entirely counts. It’s a process of steps that gets us there from A to Z.

Also remember that there’s no shame in asking for help with issues such as one’s health or career issues. Those matters, however, need to be sought out and helped by a professional. And isn’t it a relief when you can let a serious matter drop? Reward yourself with something nice when you can let that figurative boulder slip off of your shoulders!

 

AUTHOR’S NOTE 

I wish you all the best of luck to you in your job search.  Ideas to motivate and to move oneself forward are always out there. Just be certain to not copy someone entirely though bits and pieces for inspiration are fine—as long as they’re not trademarked! Remember that one’s invention inspires another’s innovation.

Also, remember that Consciousness Magazine and I don’t take any responsibility for anything written in this article.  End the year 2016 on a high note!