Cup of Joe

There’s an old Gershwin song called “It Ain’t Necessarily So.”  This phrase is more true in our lives than we might want to believe.  Whether we find ourselves defending something we believe to be true or we’re fighting for it—what we’re really emotionally attached to is our version of the truth.  Our version is the one we identify with.  Those who market to us, both in business and politics, understand this natural human tendency and exploit it to their advantage.

A case in point: on the surface, nothing is wrong with this picture.  This crate was “Made in the USA,” and proudly announces as much on the side.  It’s obviously designed to appeal to the patriotic American.

But “it ain’t necessarily so!” Look closely at the tag, where it says “Made in China.”   Seeing this, I had to stop in the aisle of the home goods store and take a picture.

So, how do we do process this oxymoronic situation?  We want to buy it because it implies good old-fashioned American pride, but it is a misrepresentation of what it says it is.  While this situation sounds ridiculous, in reality it is not all that unusual.  Consider the American car you might own that has many parts made in other countries.

Another case in point: the sign I saw in a protest recently, ”Wall Street vs. Main Street.”  Might sound good as it rolls off the tongue.  It may even invoke mythological-sized David and Goliath feelings about how the underdog can fight back and win.  Again, “it ain’t necessarily so”—most little guys with 401k’s and stocks are invested in Wall Street.

More often than we think, the signs in front of us “ain’t necessarily so.”  Have some fun with signs and send us your photos!

Success Strategy #14: At least 90% of everything you’ve ever worried about never even happened.

We waste so much energy worrying about things that we not only cannot control, but will never even happen. Think about it…even if they do happen, will worrying about it prevent it from happening or make things any better?

When we let our ‘fear fantasies’ win out against ‘raw realities’ we usually come out the loser. When we worry about what might happen, we put fear in the driver seat.  Remember that concern is valuable, worry is debilitating. Concern pulls our focus from the fear fantasy of future doom and instead puts it on what we can or should do in the current moment. Concern is a natural and important context for channeling our energy so we can appropriately confront and address the best course of action to deal with or mitigate our fears.

If this blog seems too simplistic for you, I urge you to try something. This week, raise your awareness about your distinction between worry and concern.  See if you find yourself worrying more than you thought you might have.  Then, think about taking the energy you waste on worry and channel it into better assessing what is real in the present moment, and what you should or could be doing in the present moment that would better serve you in the future.

Feeding fear fantasies negatively affects our present realities—sometimes in debilitating ways.  Do your best to shift worries into healthy concerns.  Life is short and full of enough important things to think about.  Why spend time on things that probably won’t even happen in your lifetime?

More everyday success strategies can be found on my website.