Anxiety Can Be a Sign of Growth

Update March 5, 2o1o: Anxiety has become something that I generally welcome, although it’s not always enjoyable. What I have learned to do is train myself to recognize the feelings of panic or nerves and realize that it’s just because I’m doing something that is important to me that I haven’t done before. This typically helps me calm down, and instead of feeling nervous, I feel excited and welcome my new challenge. – Drew

A while ago, my wife and I were discussing our goals with each other. When I was talking about my business goals, I had a breakthrough. I was really excited, but something else was happening, too. My hands were sweaty, my heart was racing and it became difficult for me to breathe. I was having intense feelings of anxiety, which was not the reaction I anticipated when I was uncovering something that felt so right.

It turns out that anxiety is a perfectly normal reaction to new thoughts and situations, especially when these thoughts and situations are important to you (my wife’s a clinical psychologist, so she knows about this stuff). We’ve been trained to think that anxiety is something to avoid, when in reality, anxiety by itself is not a bad thing. Your brain sends out anxiety as a warning signal when you’re doing or thinking something that’s new and meaningful. It doesn’t distinguish between “good new” and “bad new,” just new. Anxiety is a sign of growth. It’s saying that you should pause for a moment and examine why this is so meaningful to you.

Understanding anxiety as a sign of growth is really important for entrepreneurs, or anyone looking to better themselves personally or professionally. In many cases an absence of anxiety indicates that you’re lacking meaningful growth. While it’s important to be happy with who you are now, it’s equally as important to not be complacent. The key to growing in the right direction is to head toward the things that give you a twinge of anxiety.