The Anxiety Is Almost Always Worse Than the Action
One of my favorite clients and friends reminds us of this often with our peer group setting.
When a Member is faced with a complex decision, difficult conversation, or a tricky project we lean on the wisdom quite a bit. It’s virtually undefeated.
Being a recovered procrastinator, I connect with this lesson and reminder deeply.
But I never really equated the feeling with anxiety, until I realized that’s exactly what procrastination breeds. What I have learned though is anxiety doesn’t help you act. If anything, it stops you.
Most of the time, the thing you’re worried about is smaller than you imagine.
You don’t realize this because you haven’t done it yet.
Take an email or a conversation you’ve been avoiding. You think, “What if they get mad?” or “What if I don’t say it right?” So, you don’t send it or say it. But then, when you finally do, you realize it wasn’t a big deal. Maybe they don’t even respond.
That’s the pattern: the things you dread rarely live up to your imagination.
This is because anxiety is powered by uncertainty. Once you act, even imperfect action, you start to see the outlines of what’s there. It’s like turning on the lights in a dark room.
But the only way to find this out is to act. There’s no shortcut. Thinking about it more doesn’t help. If anything, it makes the anxiety worse. The gap grows until you step into it.
Lesson Learned: The next time you feel stuck, remind yourself: the worst part isn’t the thing itself. It’s the waiting. And the best way out is through. Just start. You’ll feel better once you do.