DAY 42 - Worry is a Down Payment on a Problem You May Never Have

Let’s be real—worry is exhausting. It’s like an uninvited guest that shows up whenever life feels uncertain, whispering in your ear about everything that could go wrong. How many of us have stayed up late, running through worst-case scenarios, trying to prepare for problems that might never even happen? Does it ever actually help? I think we know the answer.

We’ve all been there, caught in a mental loop, stressing over things that haven’t even crossed our path yet. But here’s the truth: Worry doesn’t solve anything. It doesn’t protect us from future problems, it doesn’t shield us from pain. All it does is steal our energy, our peace, and our ability to be present. Think about it—how many times have you spent hours stressing about something, only for it to never even happen? How much time have you wasted, paying down on problems that were never yours to begin with?

So, let me ask you: When was the last time you worried about something that turned out fine? Seriously, think back to the last time you lost sleep, your mind running through every possible disaster, only to realize the situation either worked out or didn’t even show up at all. How did that make you feel? All that energy, wasted on nothing.

Here’s a question for you: What would it look like if you didn’t let worry take up so much space in your life? What would happen if, instead of paying down on imaginary problems, you spent that time focusing on what you can control? What if you stopped giving your mental energy to fears about the future and started investing it in what you can actually do right now?

We’re all guilty of trying to ‘think’ our way out of life’s challenges. It’s messy, it’s human. But let’s be honest—how many of the problems you’ve worried about have turned out to be as bad as you imagined? How many times has worrying actually fixed anything for you? I bet not many. Worry is like trying to solve a math problem by chewing gum—it might keep you busy, but it’s not doing a damn thing to help you.

Now, let me ask you this: If you didn’t spend so much time worrying, what could you focus on instead? Could you pour that energy into your passions? Into your relationships? Into your own well-being? What would it look like if you stopped worrying about the ‘what ifs’ and started living in the ‘right nows’?

Look, worry’s going to show up. It’s part of being human. But here’s the thing—how do you decide when worry is actually worth your time? How do you know when it’s just your mind playing tricks on you, and when it’s actually something you need to address? Most of the time, worry is just fear in disguise, tricking you into believing that if you stress about it long enough, you can avoid the worst. But in reality, it just keeps you stuck.

Here’s the real challenge: What would it take for you to trust that you can handle whatever comes your way? That even if life throws a curveball, you’ve got the strength, the resilience, and the experience to deal with it? Because you’ve already survived 100% of your hardest days so far, right? Why would the future be any different? Think about the worst moments of your life—the things you thought would break you. You made it through those, didn’t you? What makes you think you won’t make it through the next challenge, too?

Worry doesn’t prepare you for the future. It just robs you of your present. So, what’s the cost of worry in your life? What experiences have you missed out on because you were too caught up in anxiety about what might happen? And more importantly, how much peace are you willing to give away to things that haven’t even happened yet?

Next time worry sneaks in, ask yourself: Is this something I can control right now? If not, why are you letting it take over your mind? Why are you paying emotional interest on something that doesn’t even exist yet? It’s like handing over money for a bill that hasn’t come due—and might never come at all.

So, let me leave you with this: What would change in your life if you stopped putting down payments on future problems? How would your days look if you redirected that energy towards things you can actually control? Worry might be persistent, but you have the power to decide how much space it gets in your life.

Take a deep breath. Let go of the ‘what-ifs.’ Trust yourself. You’ve got this, and you don’t need worry to be part of the equation anymore. What would your life look like if, instead of worrying, you chose to focus on the present—right here, right now?