Fear rehearses every disaster. Courage just shows up and performs whatever happens.

Anxiety is an imagination problem more than a danger problem. It runs through failure after failure looking for the one you can prevent, and each rehearsal feels productive while producing nothing. Real situations are messier and more workable than the versions you practice in your head.

When you catch yourself rehearsing, set a limit: five minutes to name what could go wrong, then stop and prepare for the one thing you can actually control. Arrive without a script. Most of what you feared will not appear, and what does appear you will handle live.