We quiz ourselves daily on the small stuff, yet the big questions, the ones that shape our lives, often go unaddressed. To help get you thinking this year, we’ve asked seven familiar faces to share their questions with us.
Nadine Chalmers-Ross is first, wondering if she worries too much.
“Welcome to the Worriers’ Association Anonymous. WAA for short. I’m Nadine, I’m a worrywart, it has been 10 seconds since my last fret. I worry about all things, I’m not picky.
I worry about deep, complex, globally significant issues. Like what should I post on Instagram that will be both envy and like-inducing? (and which filter to use?!) But that prompts worry about why I’m wasting away my life posting about my life to show other people how great my life is.
Then begins the existential crisis. Am I wasting my life worrying about my life? And right about now I’m beginning to worry you think I’m a certifiable nut-bar who needs to get a life and find some real problems to worry about.
All jokes aside though, I’m worried about how much I worry. I don’t want to worry about whether or not you like me (or my latest Instagram post); that’s none of my business. I don’t want to fret so much about being successful that I forget to be happy.
I don’t want to be so paralysed with fear that I might fail, that I don’t even start. So, how do I eliminate this fruitless, energy-sapping life-handbrake?
WATCH: Nadine Chalmers-Ross on Breakfast. Story continues after video
Alas, ‘worry less’ does not qualify as a ‘SMART’ goal and by January 2 I fear I’ll be fretting that my new goals are already my new failures. (Jeez, now I’m worrying about what I might worry about this year, that’s a new low!)
I’ll try yoga, I’ll try meditation, I’ll try mindfulness. I’ll try not to worry that my partner thinks it’s all a load of claptrap and I should ‘just chill out’. But before that, I try Instagram, the source of all #bodygoals, #lifegoals and inspirational quotable quotes.
I’m spoiled for choice. I should ‘be a warrior, not a worrier’. I should ‘worry less, limit stress’. I should ‘pray/laugh/smile more; worry less’. I should delete Instagram, and I think I would be making a good start on all of the above.
Nadine Chalmers-Ross is a broadcaster and journalist.
For more famous Kiwi’s answering the Big Questions, see the January issue of NEXT magazine. And to like NEXT on Facebook, click here
