Does Worry Limit You?

My dream Sunday night was filled with such intense worry that I woke up overwhelmed by the feeling. I had been on a high bridge. There were people in the water far below struggling to stay afloat and those on the bridge were jumping in to help them. I decided to do the same, but at the last minute got very scared. It was a long way down and when I looked, I rationalized that I didn’t see people in the water, but just a large school of fish.

I jumped anyway.

Meanwhile another part of me stayed safely on the bridge and watched….and worried. “How could I do this? I wasn’t prepared. What had I done? I should have stopped myself from making this disastrous decision.”

Then I woke up, but the dream stayed with me.

I understand that sometimes I jump into things not fully prepared. I understand that when I get scared, I’m good at looking for excuses not to jump.

Like everyone else I have a strong voice in my head dedicated to protecting me. To that voice I say, “Thank you very much!”

But when does that voice block us from moving forward, from following our dreams, from jumping into the unknown?

How many of us decide to do something that we know is right and then doubt ourselves and spend all our energy worrying, rather than pursing the choice we have made. How can we remain whole and be informed by our worry without being limited by it? How do we keep the lines of communication open with ourselves?

I believe it begins by sitting quietly with ourselves and having one thoughtful, honest conversation at a time.