Hakuna Matata

When my kids were little, we rented the movie "The Lion King" which had a song in it I really liked- "Hakuna Matata". The lyrics were rather simple:

"Hakuna Matata"

"Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze

It means no worries for the rest of your days

It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata!"

What a wonderful philosophy to have!
The sentiment has given birth to numerous sayings and cliches over the years:
"Don't sweat the small stuff"
"Don't worry about what you can't control"
"Let it be"
"Just keep groovin'"

and my favorite....
"Whatever".

I had forgotten this worry-free philosophy for a while. I began worrying about things I had no control over. The economy. World Peace. Weather. Politics. You may or may not have seen the blogs and my Facebook posts on a variety of these topics.

Well no more. You see, I got back in touch with that philosophy...Hakuna Matata. No worries. I refuse to spend hours thinking about things I cannot control.

I cannot control the economy, therefore, I will not worry about it.
I cannot control world peace, therefore, I will not worry about it.
I cannot control the weather, therefore, I will not worry about it.
I cannot control the politics, therefore, I will not worry about it.

I have witnessed firsthand what happens when someone lets things they have no control over dominate their lives. It's not pretty. And I refuse to let myself follow that path. From now on, I only concern myself with things I can control.

I can control the grades I get in college.
I can control my performance at work.
I can control my diet.
I can control my exercise habits.
I can control the way I choose to treat others.
I can control the amount of time I waste on Facebook.

Hakuna Matata. No worries. I think I can get used to this.

Take care my friends.