| Worry is essentially a response to things that are outside of our control. We worry about our kids, world events, the economy... and certain money troubles. Shifting our focus to specific obstacles in our path can help move us from worry to genuine peace of mind. Worry is what we do when we don't know what to do, we don't have enough information, events are outside of our control, or we're avoiding what we really need to do. Think about something that you do well. Do you ever worry about it? Sure, you think about it, prepare for it, act on it. But do you worry? Do you sit there, helplessly thinking about all the things that could go wrong and how awful it would be if they did go wrong? I doubt it. You probably just get to work. Sometimes worry can come from avoiding possible solutions that we don't want to consider. We are creatures of habit. We like what's familiar and go to great lengths to keep things the same - even if what we're used to isn't working. Our habits can blind us to opportunities for taking effective action, leaving us to worry instead. We can do this with money very easily because what we spend is often based on habits and expectations - living in a certain kind of home, driving a certain kind of car, wearing a certain wardrobe, or enjoying a certain level of dining, travel and entertainment. These all become our "normal," and when we think of solving our money troubles, we often take this level of spending as a given. There are very tangible things we can define - how much income we make per month, what our known expenses are. We can have clarity about what things cost and what we expect to earn... if we choose to look at them. But when our expenses are greater than our income, our investments aren't doing well and our debts are beginning to pile up... it can be painful to look at the facts and easier to become lulled into a kind of denial, hoping that things will "work out." | 
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