Page 175 - The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage
P. 175

from	Sawyer	and	into	a	dark	place	in	my	head.	Instead	of 	just	being	present	and	in
awe	of 	my	beautiful	daughter,	I	felt	afraid.

    That’s	 how	 worries	 and	 fear	 hijack	 your	 mind	 and	 rob	 you	 of 	 the	 magic	 and
wonder	in	your	life.	Brené	Brown	observed	this	exact	phenomenon	in	her	research
for	 her	 best-seller	 Daring	 Greatly.	 She	 found	 that	 feeling	 a	 worst-case	 scenario	 in
moments	 of 	 joy	 (such	 as	 not	 being	 able	 to	 enjoy	 a	 hug	 with	 your	 child	 without
worrying	 about	 something	 bad	 happening	 to	 him)	 is	 an	 amazingly	 common
phenomenon.	And	why	is	it	so	hard	for	us	to	soften	into	joy?	“Because	we’re	trying
to	beat	vulnerability	to	the	punch,”	says	Dr.	Brown.

    When	 your	 mind	 takes	 you	 somewhere	 sad,	 dark,	 doubtful,	 or	 negative,	 you
don’t	have	to	go	with	it.	I	love	what	Hein	wrote	to	me:	“99.999%	of 	the	time,	it	has
always	been	a	fake	reality	that	I	had	created	in	my	head.”

    When	 you	 find	 your	 inner	 voice	 becoming	 an	 “enemy,”	 as	 Hein	 and	 I	 have
experienced,	 it’s	 important	 to	 “stop	 worrying”	 and	 recognize	 that	 in	 those	 5
seconds,	you	can	reclaim	control.
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