# WORRYING DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING: A story and lesson

Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning" - Winston Churchill

Playing PES football video game with my kid brother and friends is always an intense battle for supremacy; our ego is on the line. Coming out victorious will always earn the triumphant a bragging right, which brings humiliation worse than the worst nightmare to the losers.

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I happened to always be at the receiving end of every match I play with them. It's either I lose or the best result I could pull off against them being a draw. In fact, they see me as a "walkover" anytime I held the gamepad. The most intriguing part is that my kid brother keeps thrashing me irrespective of the team I choose to play with or he chooses to play with. The best result I could achieve from every contest against him was a goalless draw. If at all we both end up scoring and the match still ends up in a draw, it's either I draw the first blood by scoring first then he, coming back to equalize. Hardcore gamers will understand how humiliating it is when an opponent use teams like Westham united to defeat you playing with teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, and PSG.

One day, something strange happened. We had an eight players contest, and I happened to be paired up with him. As usual, he was 2 goals up early in the game, then, the unusual happened, I came from behind to win by 3 goals to 2. I eliminated him, he vowed to take a bitter revenge in our next encounter but the moment was all mine to enjoy. Though I got eliminated in the next round, the joy that I beat my brother brought a bright and beautiful smile to my face.

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I sat down to think about how I was able to achieve my success so I could avoid defeat next time. When he was 2 goals up, I knew the usual has happened, there was no need to worry or panic, hence, I just wanted to play until the very end. Therefore, with little pressure and nothing to lose, I stick to my game plan which at the end brought me victory. Then, analyzing my previous encounter with my fellow gamers, I realize that from the onset of every match, the fear of losing overshadows me. Thus, I'm always worried when my opponent has so many chances at goal while I have none. I also panic when my opponent draws the first blood, the thought of the difficulty of equalizing and winning such contest brings an unnecessary worry to my heart. Even when I'm upfront, my overburdened concern that my opponent may equalize cripples my game plan.

At the end, I realized I wasn't a "walkover" after all, panic and worry are the main reason I've not been performing at my best. In the subsequent contests, I ensure I comport myself. Whether losing or winning, I ensure I remain calm and I stick to my game plan or restrategize when necessary. Hence, I give little or no room for worries. It wasn't long before I became a force to reckon with; everyone now has to sit tight whenever I held the gamepad, I was no longer the "walkover" I used to be.

Most times, we tend to cripple our own life with unnecessary worry. We worry about things we have control over and those beyond our control. We worry about our past which cannot be changed or things about the future which may never happen. Hence, we tend to perform below our usual capacity in our daily life. In fact, many people fail to take action on their dreams but rather occupy their minds with worries on why their dreams would not work. Dalai Lama also stated that "If it can be solved, there is no need to worry and if it can't be solved, worry is of no use" . Worry only drain us of our energy and confidence when we let them overshadow us. Corrie Ten Boom has rightly pointed," worry do not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength". Therefore, it is important we eliminate unnecessary worry, rather, let your advance worrying become advance thinking and planning as Winston Churchill had rightly pointed. This can be done by setting goals that target our worries. As an American proverb says, "action is worry's worst enemy", therefore, Setting goals is not enough; taking actions in achieving the goals will help to build confidence and also help to eliminate our worries. We all have to keep investing irrespective the results we get. With so much perseverance, we will surely get the result we want.