Save The Drama for Your Mama!

Conrad Hilton, the hotelier extraordinaire, had exceptional perseverance.  As he struggled to make a name for himself in the hotel business, two of his hotels burned to the ground.  A third hotel, the Waldorf-Astoria in New York became one of the most infamous hotels in the world during the Depression because a number of businessmen took their own lives while staying at that hotel.

But despite it all, Hilton never gave up his dream of owning a world-class hotel chain. And, he claims in his book, Be My Guest (1984) that he never worried, even when he was broke, and broken.  He kept his faith, and lived by two principles that helped keep him from stressing out. 

The first principle was:  Never worry past sundown.  If something surfaced in his mind that would cause him to worry, he would check to see what time of day it was.  If the sun was down, he refused to worry about it at that time.   He would wait until morning, in expectation that everything would be better.

The second principle was:  If you are going to worry, then give worrying a time limit.  He would simply decide: I am going to worry about that for 15 more minutes.  Then, he would.  After that, he went back to work.

In our worlds of busyness and rapidity, we create so much stress, putting ourselves at risk and causing stress in others due to our own unhealthy approaches to problems and situations. We cannot fix what we cannot face! Facing what is causing our stress may actually reduce its effects. Stress has proven to be a leading cause of heart attack, stroke, and other chronic and fatal diseases. 

Since the mid-90’s, I have tried the principles espoused by Hilton, and I can attest to the fact that, with a little practice, they can be done.  I have found that in most instances what I was stressing about was miniscule in comparison to the bringer things in life. I have also found that creating unnecessary drama causes people around me to amplify their issues and concerns.

So, give Hilton’s two principles a try: Never worry past sundown, and give worrying a time limit.  After all, we know there are new mercies every morning!