Questioning Worry and Responsibility

THE BOLDER WAY™

QUESTION ANYTHING

QUESTION RESOURCE 0020

THE QUESTION

Have I made worrying one of my responsibilities?

Worry can become connected to care, attentiveness, duty, preparation, or protection.

Sometimes I may believe that worrying means I am taking something seriously.

Sometimes I may believe that if I stopped worrying, I would be neglecting something that matters.

Questioning worry and responsibility does not require me to decide that the worry is unnecessary.

It allows me to Question whether worrying itself has become part of what I believe I am responsible for.

A QUESTION TO HOLD

What responsibility do I believe worry is fulfilling?

BEGIN WHERE SOMETHING GETS YOUR ATTENTION.

You do not have to answer every Question.

THE BOLDER WAY™

QUESTION ANYTHING

QUESTION RESOURCE 0020

BEGIN HERE

WHAT AM I RESPONSIBLE FOR?

What do I believe belongs to me here?
What am I expected to do?
What have I decided I should do?
Who established that expectation?
What can I actually influence?
What can I actually decide?
What can I actually do?

What belongs to another Human?
What belongs to a System?
What belongs to circumstances no one controls?
What have I taken responsibility for that may not actually be mine?
What might be mine that I am avoiding because I am focused on the worry?

WHAT DOES WORRY SEEM TO ADD?

Does worrying make me feel more attentive?
Does it make me feel more prepared?
Does it make me feel more caring?
Does it make me feel more responsible?

Does it make me feel as though I am doing something?
What do I believe would happen if I cared just as much but worried less?
What do I believe would happen if I remained responsible but the worry changed?

WHAT CHANGES WHEN I DISTINGUISH RESPONSIBILITY FROM THE FEELING THAT I MUST KEEP WORRYING?

THE BOLDER WAY™

QUESTION ANYTHING

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GO FURTHER

WHEN WORRY BECOMES EVIDENCE

What do I believe my worry proves?
Does it prove that I care?
Does it prove that I am paying attention?
Does it prove that I am a good parent, partner, leader, colleague, friend, or Human?
What would I believe about myself if I were no longer worried?

Would I think I had become careless?
Would I think I had become selfish?
Would I think I had stopped loving or caring?
Would I think I was failing someone?
Whose standard of responsibility am I using?
What role am I trying to fulfill through worry?

RESPONSIBILITY WITHOUT CERTAINTY

What am I trying to prevent?
Can I actually prevent it?
What preparation belongs here?
What vigilance belongs here?
What attention belongs here?
What action belongs here?

What remains outside my control even if I remain worried?
What responsibility remains whether or not I worry?
What responsibility disappears if the worry disappears?
Was that ever responsibility—or something else?

QUESTION TO GO FURTHER

What am I afraid would become irresponsible if the worry changed?

THE BOLDER WAY™

QUESTION ANYTHING

QUESTION RESOURCE 0020

LET THE QUESTION MOVE

WHAT ACTUALLY BELONGS TO ME?

What belongs to my attention?
What belongs to my decision?
What belongs to my action?
What belongs to another Human?
What belongs to a System?
What belongs to time?
What belongs to uncertainty?

What belongs to circumstances I cannot direct?
What responsibility have I accepted?
What responsibility have I assumed?
What responsibility has been assigned to me?
Are those the same?
What does responsibility require here?
What am I asking worry to do that responsibility itself may or may not require?

LOOK AGAIN THROUGH THE THREE LENSES

SELF

What do I use worry to tell me about whether I am a responsible Human?

What do I believe a responsible version of me should feel?

What do I believe a responsible version of me should carry?

SYSTEMS

What responsibility belongs to the System—and what have I taken on myself?

What is the System actually responsible for?

What happens when the System does not do what I believe it should?

What additional responsibility do I begin carrying when I do not trust the System?

SOCIETY

What have I learned about who is supposed to worry?

Which roles are expected to anticipate, protect, monitor, or carry concern?

What does Society teach me a caring or responsible Human should worry about?

RETURN TO THE QUESTION

Have I made worrying one of my responsibilities?
What responsibility do I believe worry is fulfilling?
What actually belongs to me?

What does not belong to me?
What would responsibility still require if the worry changed?
What remains a Question?

What does this reveal about Being Human?

Answers can come from anywhere. Questioning remains yours.

Questioning Worry and Responsibility — QR-0020