--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The task of worrying is to come up with…" description: "\"The task of worrying is to come up with positive solutions for life's perils by anticipating dangers before they arise. If we are preoccupied by worrie..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/daniel-goleman-1599_answers_the-task-of-worrying-is-to-come-up-with_2147153.jpg" --- # The task of worrying is to come up with positive solutions… ![“The task of worrying is to come up with positive solutions for life's perils by anticipating dangers before they arise. If we are preoccupied by worries, we have that must less attention to expend on figuring out the answers. Our worries become self-fulfilling prophecies, propelling us toward the…” quote by Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/daniel-goleman-1599_answers_the-task-of-worrying-is-to-come-up-with_2147153.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/daniel-goleman-1599_answers_the-task-of-worrying-is-to-come-up-with_2147153.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/daniel-goleman-1599_answers_the-task-of-worrying-is-to-come-up-with_2147153.jpg) > “The task of worrying is to come up with positive solutions for life's perils by anticipating dangers before they arise. If we are preoccupied by worries, we have that must less attention to expend on figuring out the answers. Our worries become self-fulfilling prophecies, propelling us toward the very disaster they predict.” [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Worrying diverts mental resources from solving problems, turning anxiety into a self‑fulfilling prophecy. **In simple terms:** Worry steals focus, causing the feared outcome. Key Takeaway Focus on solutions, not fears. Themes anxiety problem solving self‑fulfilling prophecy Mood concerned reflective Type advice psychological When to use this quote - decision making - stress management - personal planning - team leadership Key Concepts cognitive load anticipation emotional regulation Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn worry into proactive planning? - When does caution become counterproductive? A Different Perspective Worry can sometimes motivate preparedness; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Peril](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peril/) [Prophecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophecy/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self fulfilling prophecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-fulfilling-prophecy/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Worrying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worrying/) ## Related quotes > [“It does no good for you to spend all of your time worrying about what may come and being blind to what you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-leclerc/it-does-no-good-for-you-to-spend-all-of-your-time-worrying-about-what/) Sherry Leclerc > [“I Worried" I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers flow in the right direction, will the earth turn as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-worried-i-worried-a-lot-will-the-garden-grow-will-the-rivers-flow/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [I saw that worrying had come to nothing and gave it up. And took my old body and went out into the morning, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-saw-that-worrying-had-come-to-nothing-and-gave-it-up-and-took-my/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“I like worrying. I come from a long line of worriers. It's in my blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/i-like-worrying-i-come-from-a-long-line-of-worriers-it-s-in-my-blood/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [The belief in the inevitability of war is a self-fulfilling prophecy... We need an alternative vision, to see the world as one, as interconnected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/the-belief-in-the-inevitability-of-war-is-a-self-fulfilling-prophecy/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [A self-fulfilling prophecy is an assumption or prediction that, purely as a result of having been made, cause the expected or predicted event to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/a-self-fulfilling-prophecy-is-an-assumption-or-prediction-that-purely/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [Many of us grow up thinking of mistakes as bad, viewing errors as evidence of fundamental incapacity. This negative thinking pattern can create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-buzan/many-of-us-grow-up-thinking-of-mistakes-as-bad-viewing-errors-as/) [Tony Buzan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-buzan/) > [Optimism is a self-fulfilling prophecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/optimism-is-a-self-fulfilling-prophecy/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [As with Hobbes, we see again, the power of fiction. Rousseau's acount of natural man was no more real than Hobbes's, but following the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wiker/as-with-hobbes-we-see-again-the-power-of-fiction-rousseau-s-acount-of/) [Benjamin Wiker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wiker/) > [The soft bigotry of low expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerson/the-soft-bigotry-of-low-expectations/) [Michael Gerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerson/) > [Positive self-expectancy is the first, most outwardly identifiable quality of a top-achieving, winning human being. Positive self-expectancy is pure and simple optimism: real enthusiasm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/positive-self-expectancy-is-the-first-most-outwardly-identifiable/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [The important stuff won't happen, just do things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-important-stuff-won-t-happen-just-do-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you give up on politics, you're giving up on democracy. And if you give up on democracy, you're basically saying to the moneyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/if-you-give-up-on-politics-you-re-giving-up-on-democracy-and-if-you/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [Life is self-fulfilling prophecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/life-is-self-fulfilling-prophecy/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [When the government pays, health care's lack of affordability becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In health care, as in other things, government is the high-cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-kling/when-the-government-pays-health-care-s-lack-of-affordability-becomes/) [Arnold Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-kling/) ## More by Daniel Goleman > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [When the darkness is seen as a necessary prelude to the creative light, one is less likely to ascribe frustration to personal inadequacy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/when-the-darkness-is-seen-as-a-necessary-prelude-to-the-creative/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [All the classical meditation traditions, in one way or another, stress nonattachment to the self as a goal of practice. Oddly, this dimension is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/all-the-classical-meditation-traditions-in-one-way-or-another-stress/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Feelings are self-justifying, with a set of perceptions and "proofs" all their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/feelings-are-self-justifying-with-a-set-of-perceptions-and-proofs-all/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Overloading attention shrinks mental control. Life immersed in digital distractions creates a near constant cognitive overload. And that overload wears out self-control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/overloading-attention-shrinks-mental-control-life-immersed-in-digital/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [What seems to set apart those at the very top of competitive pursuits from others of roughly equal ability is the degree to which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/what-seems-to-set-apart-those-at-the-very-top-of-competitive-pursuits/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“What distinguishes leaders in medicine goes far beyond that knowledge, into interpersonal skills like empathy, conflict resolution, and people development.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/what-distinguishes-leaders-in-medicine-goes-far-beyond-that-knowledge/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“Richard Davidson, a University of Wisconsin psychologist. He discovered that people who have greater activity in the left frontal lobe, compared to the right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/richard-davidson-a-university-of-wisconsin-psychologist-he-discovered/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Emotional 'literacy' implies an expanded responsibility for schools in helping to socialize children. This daunting task requires two major changes: that teachers go beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/emotional-literacy-implies-an-expanded-responsibility-for-schools-in/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The social brain is in its natural habitat when we're talking with someone face-to-face in real time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-social-brain-is-in-its-natural-habitat-when-we-re-talking-with/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The ability to handle stress increases with the practice of meditation. In a culture like ours in which inner, spiritual growth is totally neglected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-ability-to-handle-stress-increases-with-the-practice-of/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Research shows that for jobs of all kinds, emotional intelligence is twice as important an ingredient of outstanding performance as cognitive ability and technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/research-shows-that-for-jobs-of-all-kinds-emotional-intelligence-is/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The emotional brain responds to an event more quickly than the thinking brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-emotional-brain-responds-to-an-event-more-quickly-than-the/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Positive work environments outperform negative work environments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/positive-work-environments-outperform-negative-work-environments/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Who does not recall school at least in part as endless dreary hours of boredom punctuated by moments of high anxiety?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/who-does-not-recall-school-at-least-in-part-as-endless-dreary-hours/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) [Explore all 200 Daniel Goleman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The task of worrying is to come up with positive solutions for life's perils by anticipating dangers before they arise. If we are preoccupied by worries, we have that must less attention to expend on figuring out the answers. Our worries become self-fulfilling prophecies, propelling us toward the very disaster they predict.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Goleman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-task-of-worrying-is-to-come-up-with-positive-solutions-for-life-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-task-of-worrying-is-to-come-up-with-positive-solutions-for-life-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/daniel-goleman-1599_answers_the-task-of-worrying-is-to-come-up-with_2147153.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/daniel-goleman-1599_answers_the-task-of-worrying-is-to-come-up-with_2147153.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/daniel-goleman-1599_answers_the-task-of-worrying-is-to-come-up-with_2147153.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The task of worrying is to come up with positive solutions for life's perils by anticipating dangers before…” — Daniel Goleman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Daniel Goleman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The task of worrying is to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-task-of-worrying-is-to-come-up-with-positive-solutions-for-life-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-task-of-worrying-is-to-come-up-with-positive-solutions-for-life-s/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```