The More You Worry, The Less You Live

You can’t stop yourself from worrying. You can’t turn off your emotions like a light switch. You can’t control whether or not your mind goes in circles at night, keeping you awake with a million what-ifs. 

Even though you might hate how much you overthink, there’s really nothing wrong with planning out your schedule ahead of time. There’s nothing wrong with getting nervous about what might go wrong tomorrow. There’s nothing wrong with wondering what the future has in store for you.

You’re allowed to worry — but you’re not allowed to hold yourself back. You’re not allowed to cower in your comfort zone, refusing to take risks, refusing to see what’s out in the world, refusing to take a chance on yourself.

You don’t want your worries to convince you to stay in the same place for the rest of your life. You don’t want to end up settling for a mediocre existence that doesn’t bring you joy because you’re terrified of what the world could have in store for you if you changed your routine, because you’re worried things could get worse and would rather play it safe.

The truth is, the future is unpredictable. Even if you continue doing the same exact thing, day after day, there’s no guarantee it’s going to last. Your world could still change in a heartbeat. That’s why it’s important to chase after what you really want, even though there are some cons, even though there are some risks, even though there is a chance some things could go wrong.

You cannot live your life in fear. You aren’t going to end up feeling fulfilled if you’re always choosing the safest routes, if you’re always allowing your worries to get in the way of your decision making process.

You’re allowed to worry about how making a change is going to impact you. You’re allowed to run through different scenarios in your head. You’re allowed to be nervous about venturing outside of your comfort zone. As long as you don’t let those worries get in your way of following through. As long as you don’t convince yourself it’s safer to keep doing what you’re doing, even though you aren’t entirely happy right now.

Everything in life requires some sort of risk. If you start dating someone, there’s a risk they might break your heart. If you apply for your dream job, there’s a risk you might end up getting your application rejected. If you ask a friend to hang out, there’s a risk they’ll turn you down.

You cannot outrun risks. You cannot avoid them forever. Even when you decide not to make a change, you’re still taking a risk. You’re risking the possibility that you’re going to wake up one day and be filled with regrets, that you’re going to wish you made different choices, that you’re going to end up miserable.

If you’re forced to take a risk, no matter what you do, you might as well choose the risk that gets you the most excited. The risk that feels worth it in the end.