We get anxious about the future.
But the truth is, we can never predict the future with 100% certainty. Ever bought a lottery ticket? Bet on a horse race? Watched a weather report?
Stop worrying. Stop caring. Stop stressing yourself out about what could be. It creates anxiety and distracts you from what you’re capable of in the moment. The anxiety of it all is crippling.
Instead, create breadth in your experiences.
Try new things. Accelerate the things you love, ditch the things you don’t. Be passionate about those things.
Give yourself permission to turn your computer off, go outside, force yourself to be inspired. Take a painting class. Even if your paintings are terrible or you don’’t think you’ll like painting. Just take the class. Experience something new. Join a basketball team. Never played basketball before? Who cares. The experience will open your mind, stretch your limits. Show you that things aren’t always as they seem. Ask an acquaintance to grab a cup of coffee. Do something, anything that you’re scared of doing. Fear should really be called fear of the future. Fear doesn’t exist without the future. Without believing that something bad could happen.
I used to be a climbing instructor.
I love to repel. I love to climb. I used to be terrified of heights. You know what one of my favorite hiking spots is? A huge cliff overlooking the city of Austin and the river below. I only fear heights when I believe something devastating will happen in the future. But those devastating things, those things we fear rarely happen.
I took a huge spill on my bike a few years ago.
My head bounced off the pavement. I was wearing a helmet, got checked out, and was given an a-ok from the hospital. It shook me. But I didn’t fear getting back on a bike. I love to bike. I love the speed. The feeling of cutting through the air like a sparrow. The forrest a blur. The wildflowers. The smells. Fear is the feeling that something will go wrong.
Dig your feet firmly into whatever you’re doing right now and forget about the rest. Take things one step at the time. Get out of your comfort zone. Don’t fear the future. It’s yours to shape. It’s yours to create.
http://youtu.be/4Nszpqc1QKs
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