Worry doesn’t prevent problems — it imagines them. It’s the mind’s way of playing out the worst possible scenarios before reality has even had a chance to unfold. When you worry, you’re not protecting yourself. You’re rehearsing failure on a loop that hasn’t happened, and likely never will.

It starts quietly. A doubt. A question. A what-if. Then it grows. Suddenly, you’re tangled in outcomes you can’t control, decisions you haven’t made, and consequences that don’t exist. And the most dangerous part? You feel like you’re being productive. Like worrying is preparing. Like stress equals strategy.

But it doesn’t.

To worry is to drain your energy before you’ve even taken the first step. It’s running the race in your mind before you ever show up at the starting line — and telling yourself you’ll lose. It keeps you cautious when you should be courageous. It keeps you stuck when you should be moving.

Caution has its place. So does planning. But worry is different. Worry builds nothing. It stops action. It clouds judgment. It kills momentum.

You’re allowed to be uncertain. You’re allowed to feel pressure. But you don’t have to live in fear of what might go wrong. Most of the time, the only thing going wrong is the story you’re telling yourself.

So when the worry sets in, pause and ask: Is this helping me, or is it holding me back?

You don’t need to rehearse failure. You need to make your move. And trust that whatever comes next, you’ll handle it — not in theory, but in real time.

Because your strength isn’t found in worry. It’s found in action.