‘How to stop worrying and start living’ by Dale Carnegie.

I just completed a this book, I rate it 5 stars and recommend everyone to have a read, especially if you would like to improve the quality of your life.

There’re a couple of highlights I would like to share, however, I find it difficult to internalise these points without putting it into action. I have keyed it into my notion ‘books highlights calendar’ so that I can remind myself to apply these concepts in real life.

1) Do not worry about something that hasn’t happened & may never happen: Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Time solves a lot of things. Time may also solve what you are worrying about today.

2) Law of averages: Ask yourself — what are the chances, according to the law of averages, that this event I am worrying about will ever occur?

Worried about dying in a plane crash? The death risk per flight was one in seven million. … That means that any time you board a flight on a major carrier in this country, your chance of being in a fatal accident is one in seven million.

3) Getting interested in your job will take your mind off your worries.

By thinking the right thoughts, you can make any job less distasteful.

4) The law does not concern itself with trifles.

When you are hosting a sumptuous meal for your friends and you start worrying because the napkins on the table do not match the plates — throughout the dinner, nobody took notice of the patterns on the napkins. Your worries are invalid.

5) Once you have made a careful decision based on facts, go into action.

Don’t stop to reconsider, Don’t begin to hesitate, worry and retrace your steps. Don’t lose yourself in self-doubting which begets other doubts. Don’t keep looking back over your shoulder.

6) We can accept almost any situation, if we have to and adjust ourselves to forget about it.

Acceptance to what happen is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

7) One task at a time.

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

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Bonus quote from Steve jobs that is not in the book: “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.”

I created a countdown calendar in notion, assuming I can live till my 90th birthday, I currently have 22809 days left. What’s the worst that can happen? I ceased to exist in 22809 days. What is there to worry about?