“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”
Hi, friends! 👋
Welcome to the Brilliance Brief. Every week, we break down leadership, mindset, and personal growth into something real and doable. Expect research-backed insights, a little storytelling, and practical ideas that actually fit into your life (even the messy parts).
A BOOK I RECOMMEND
My friends Eric Partaker and Dr. Christian Poensgen sent me an advance copy of their new book, Ultraproductive. It just came out.
The idea is simple: your brain and body run in 90-minute cycles. Work with that rhythm, and you get more done in less time.
I felt like it was written for me. They are both great business leaders, great human beings, and great parents, and it shows.
If you’re juggling a busy career and family, I highly recommend this book.
Every week, I take my son to lunch.
He’s a senior in college.
Lately, our talks turn to the same big topic: what comes next?
He sits across from me and wonders, “What career should I pick? What if I choose the wrong job? What if it doesn’t work out?”
I listen. I nod.
I know that feeling in my bones. I’m a chronic overthinker myself.
Uncertainty never goes away.
You feel it at 22 when you look for your first job.
You feel it at 42 when you want to change careers.
You feel it at 52 when you start a business.
Whenever uncertainty creeps in, our brains jump to the worst-case scenario.
We ask ourselves: What if I fail? What if I look foolish? What if everything falls apart?
That’s a lot of energy spent preparing for a catastrophe that probably isn’t coming.
The worry tax
Researchers at Penn State asked a group of chronic worriers to write down their worries for 10 days.
Then they tracked what actually happened.
91% of those worries never came true.
And when a worry did come true, about 1 in 3 turned out better than people expected.
The next time your mind starts spiraling with negative possibilities, ask the opposite question:
What if it goes right?
3 ways to turn worry into action
When you’re stuck overthinking, try this.
#1: Check your track record
When you feel anxious, look backward before you look forward.
Think about the hard things you’ve already survived.
The painful breakup.
The job loss.
The big move you weren’t sure about.
You got through every one of them.
Your track record for getting through tough days is 100%. That’s your evidence. Trust it.
#2: Flip the script
Your brain is wired to look for threats. It kept our ancestors alive, but today it just keeps us stressed.
Whenever you catch yourself asking, “What if this blows up?” pause for a second.
Force your brain to answer the other side:
What if I love this new role?
What if this project opens doors I can’t see yet?
What if I succeed?
Give hope just as much room as fear.
#3: Take one small step
David J. Schwartz wrote 3 words in The Magic of Thinking Big that I love: “Action cures fear.”
Start before the fear is gone. Movement is what shrinks it.
When you sit on the couch and overthink it, problems look giant.
When you take one step, problems shrink.
Make the call. Send the email. Submit the application. Have the hard conversation.
Worry loses its grip the second you start moving
Try this today
Think of one thing that’s keeping you up at night.
Grab a piece of paper. Write down your biggest fear about it.
Then right next to it, write down the opposite: “What if this goes right?”
Pick one small thing you can do today that moves you toward the second one.
You don’t need a guarantee to take the next step. You just need to trust yourself to figure it out along the way.
That’s what I told my son over lunch last week. “You’ve made it through every tough time you’ve had in your life. Trust yourself to handle anything that happens in the future.”
Talk soon,
Justin
P.S. What’s one thing you worried about in the past that turned out to be a huge blessing?
Hit “reply” and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
