3 Tips To Stop the Worry

This week, Melissa and I submitted our video and application to the casting team for the TV competition show, The Amazing Race. It’s a show we both love and have watched for years. It combines many of the elements that energize us: competition, travel, service, and spontaneity.

This is our second attempt at being on the show, the first time being an in-person audition where we didn’t know at all what to expect. We considered that a trial run, or as I’d say to my writer clients — a shitty first draft.

I love the excitement and sense of accomplishment just from applying. I can release any ties to the outcome because I know we’ve shown up, done our best, and if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. It’s a great reminder that success is in the action, not the outcome (click to tweet!)

It’s taken me years to be able to not stress and obsess over how things will turn out, and looking back, I can see that no amount of worry ever affected what happened next. It really was a lot of wasted energy.

So here are a few tips to help you stop the worry:

• Take action. So often, our stress is directly related to inaction. Ask yourself, “What is my very next step?” If the step feels too big, break it down. If you’ve already done your part and the ball is no longer in your court, then your very next step might be to do some journaling around the worry. Let that part of you who is scared have a voice and share how he or she is feeling.
• Emotional Freedom Technique. This is a powerful healing tool with which more and more people are finding success. For information and instruction on this simple tapping process, check out Nick Ortner’s YouTube video here.
• Find a picture of yourself as a child, as that’s who is truly doing the worrying. Look into your sweet eyes and remind that little one that she is safe, that you have her back, and that you love her no matter how things play out. This powerful relationship is so often neglected and it is the absolute master key to a fulfilling, authentic life.

To quote the late, great Bob Marley: “Don’t worry about a thing. Cuz every little thing is gonna be alright.”

OK, you’re up! How do you help to stop the worry? Is there a particular situation that’s stressing you out right now? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments below.