Worry Before Your Next Big Challenge, Not During

Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) was a famous American aviator and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, an achievement that earned her the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross. Earhart was also a staunch advocate for women’s rights who parlayed her aviation fame into several best-selling books. She was a faculty member at Purdue University and a member of the National Woman’s Party. Despite the many accomplishments of her lifetime, Earhart is best known for the way she died. During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937, Earhart and her navigator disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Her grim and mysterious death still resonates to this day.

Her take on worry:

“The time to worry is three months before a flight. Decide then whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying. To worry is to add another hazard.”

Such advice can easily be applied to whatever goals you seek to achieve. Assess risk all you want prior to your pursuit. Don’t let negative emotions get in your way during the moment.

For a similar take on stage fright from actor Jonathan Pryce, check out the video below: