365 Days of Living the Dale Carnegie Principles
Day 105. Saturday, July 9, 2011
I woke up this morning and I was overwhelmed with the thought of geckos. How will I survive this day with this one thought looming in my mind?

A Kniphofia plant (a.k.a. Red Hot Poker). Main features are its bright fiery blooms. I too was red hot trying to combat worry.
I put on some grubby clothes and decided to do yard work in 100+ degree weather. This wasn’t delicate gardening—this was yard work. I pruned the bushes, I weeded, I dug up a stubborn tree sapling. I removed old wasps’ nests. I was irritated with myself that I let these tasks go untouched for so long. Then I contemplated if I’m lazy in these areas where else am I lazy? This gave me a stronger resolve to continue my rampage.
I took the battle into the garage where I cleaned and removed junk I have never touched in years.
Then the battle for clean and organization went indoors. I cleaned out closets. I vacuumed. I folded laundry.
I did this for about 7 hours today. I’d like to say I didn’t think of geckos once during those 7 hours—but I did. I had to deal with a couple of them in the garage. But what is important to note is that my approach to this day worked.
I was so irritated with myself that I’ve been too busy/distracted/lazy/not interested in being a homeowner. I accepted this reality—because I was looking at it—overgrown bushes, weeds, laundry, clutter, etc. But I also knew I didn’t have to accept living like this. In this process I distracted myself from my real fear that greeted me this morning “the g word”
The Dale Carnegie principles I used today are from How to Stop Worrying and Start Living:
Keep busy.
My lesson to you—keeping busy is an excellent way to keep your worries and fears in check. In my case, I was very productive—cleaning, weeding and creating organization out of my perceived crisis.