Somewhere in Tennessee with our Uhaul bobbing in the rearview, I prepared for the horrible things that could happen as we moved to North Carolina. Flat tire. Uhaul detaching from my truck. Engine catching on fire (it’s alarming how many roadside fire scars you notice driving cross-country).
It wasn’t fun watching these imaginations, but in the way anxiety illusions, it felt necessary.
I was sick of the disaster movie playing in my head but was too fatigued to stop it, so I cued up this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast. Something in it, just one remark, of which I can’t recall now, woke me up, and I remembered, “All I can do is my best. What’s the best I can do today?” If I get a flat tire, I’ll do my best. If something happens to the Uhaul, I’ll do my best. If my truck catches on fire, I’ll do my best.
You know the feeling when someone gives you assurance and you take it, pretending to feel better, when really the anxiety is still winning under the surface? Like what happens when you try positive thinking? This was the opposite of that. I knew this was within my control. I eased into my seat, felt my grip loosen, and drove on, mantra on repeat, “What’s the best I can do?” Anxiety took a retreat, lasting the duration to Asheville. Mountains through the windshield and rivers under bridges broke into my awareness, having been there for hours, but finally knowable. I got excited; possibility dispatched fear.
When we go after what we really want, fear’s bound to join us. You don’t fear striking out unless you’re in the game and can actually strike out. Remember, the next time your brain is playing all the possible wrongs that can happen, it means you’re in the game and maybe, just maybe, you’re closing in on the dream.
Let’s live a life we love,
Ryan Fightmaster, MD
(P.S. After a hiatus, the Friday newsletter is back and more succinct. If you’re looking to change your life and truly own a life you love, I will sling arrows at that target, here. Weekly articles will post on Thursdays over at FightmasterMD.com and expect daily perspectives on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Threads.)
