When I heard the ringing of the gong, I became aware that somewhere along the way of the last few years of my life I had drifted from the pursuit of a personal, authentic existence to being someone and living in a way I didn't authentically resonate with, holding beliefs I never consciously chose.

Worry does not give us control. It does not prevent loss, guarantee outcomes, or protect us from being hurt. At best, it is rehearsal; at worst, it is self-inflicted punishment for a future that may never arrive. Most of what we fear never happens—and when something finally does, we meet it with the same tools we always had. All that worry in between does not prepare us. It only wears us down.