66 Marbles
There are only two uses we can put our imagination to: one is anxiety the other is creativity. You get to choose.
Deepak Chopra
I’ve been waking up early all week, anxious about deadlines for my last week of school, worried about what I’m doing planning a trip down to New Orleans during the financially demanding month of December. The worrier in me thinks I’m nuts. Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom” (with that definition, I must be feeling very free). With freedom we have the ability to make uncorsetted decisions, but it’s those decisions that are the major cause of my anxiety.
Last night I was driving my daughter to a class through our city’s skid row. My kids commented on how the neighborhood was sketchy. I told them that things are always changing and in ten years, that area would look different too. I pointed out an old bank building reno’d for newer condos, old hotels coming down that were being replaced by new office space, an interior design store, and new and trendy restaurants. My youngest son commented, “But if the future is dark, this area will be the first to go.” Hmmm, how could such a young boy be thinking about a dark future? Is it genetic?
Then I told them about a recent interview I had seen with Jay-Z in which he was commenting about all the changes in the music industry, how the revenue streams were shifting, how the old forms were not applicable any longer. His response to the changing tides was, “It’s such an exciting time.” I commented to my kids that sometimes the difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn't is the mindset on how they address the world, “What he views as excitement, many people would view as worrisome.” My daughter responded, “Mom, he’s part of the A team. Even if he never made another cent, he’d still be okay.” But which came first, his successful mindset or his success?
Anxiety and excitement are very similar in the body. When I feel them, they are almost the same energy but with a small adjustment in between similar to the shift from fourth to fifth gears in a standard car. And just like driving a standard car, if you’re someone who readily goes into the gear of anxiety, you’ll need to consciously put in the clutch and switch into excitement, your transmission won’t do it for you.
So, let’s switch from fourth to fifth and feel how excited I am to be finishing my school term and going to New Orleans. Then I’ll drive into my bright and exciting future…
Deepak Chopra
I’ve been waking up early all week, anxious about deadlines for my last week of school, worried about what I’m doing planning a trip down to New Orleans during the financially demanding month of December. The worrier in me thinks I’m nuts. Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom” (with that definition, I must be feeling very free). With freedom we have the ability to make uncorsetted decisions, but it’s those decisions that are the major cause of my anxiety.
Last night I was driving my daughter to a class through our city’s skid row. My kids commented on how the neighborhood was sketchy. I told them that things are always changing and in ten years, that area would look different too. I pointed out an old bank building reno’d for newer condos, old hotels coming down that were being replaced by new office space, an interior design store, and new and trendy restaurants. My youngest son commented, “But if the future is dark, this area will be the first to go.” Hmmm, how could such a young boy be thinking about a dark future? Is it genetic?
Then I told them about a recent interview I had seen with Jay-Z in which he was commenting about all the changes in the music industry, how the revenue streams were shifting, how the old forms were not applicable any longer. His response to the changing tides was, “It’s such an exciting time.” I commented to my kids that sometimes the difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn't is the mindset on how they address the world, “What he views as excitement, many people would view as worrisome.” My daughter responded, “Mom, he’s part of the A team. Even if he never made another cent, he’d still be okay.” But which came first, his successful mindset or his success?
Anxiety and excitement are very similar in the body. When I feel them, they are almost the same energy but with a small adjustment in between similar to the shift from fourth to fifth gears in a standard car. And just like driving a standard car, if you’re someone who readily goes into the gear of anxiety, you’ll need to consciously put in the clutch and switch into excitement, your transmission won’t do it for you.
So, let’s switch from fourth to fifth and feel how excited I am to be finishing my school term and going to New Orleans. Then I’ll drive into my bright and exciting future…
Can you feel what it's like to be anxious? Now can you feel what it's like to be excited? If you're someone that goes into anxiety, could you manually shift the gears and feel excitement?
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