Has fear or worry ever stopped you from doing something you love? Has that pesky voice in the back of your mind ever told you that you aren’t good enough, smart enough, or talented enough to realize your dreams? Have you ever felt like an imposter in your own life?

If so, you’re not alone. In Choose Wonder Over Worry: Move Beyond Fear and Doubt to Unlock Your Full Potential, Amber Rae, an inspirational speaker, artist, and “guinea pig for self-discovery” — explores the challenging emotions we face every day, guides you to the source of what’s holding you back, and encourages you to live courageously. MindBodyGreen has called Amber “The Brené Brown of Wonder,” and with this self-help book, she reframes the way we look at ourselves and the world, helping readers reach their full potential and choose wonder every single day.

Amber Rae is an author, artist, and speaker devoted to inspiring people to express the fullness of their gifts. Her writing blends raw, personal storytelling with psychology and neuroscience, and has reached over 5 million people in 195 countries. Her public art has spread to over twenty countries, and she’s spoken to and collaborated with brands like Kate Spade, Apple, Amazon, and Unilever. She’s been featured in The New York Times, TIME, Fast Company, BBC, and ABC World News, to name a few. Previously, Amber helped launch six best-selling books as Chief Evangelist of Seth Godin’s publishing experiment and started an “accelerator for your life” called The Bold Academy. She lives in Brooklyn and around the world. Connect with her via Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Worries! Many of us have worries, no matter how big or small. Some may face them while others prefer to turn the other way and take the safe route to avoid uncertainty. The pathway to our dreams may not always be straight and narrow. It may have many twists and turns that we must take without a map in hand in order to fulfill them. This is why most avoid the unknown at all costs. This can lead to unhealthy relationships, anxiety, unsatisfying jobs, and feeling uninspired. It is a constant leap of faith if we continue to move forward in the unfamiliar path. Life is a journey. You just have to embrace the uncertainty and trust it as best as you can.

→ Worry is the voice of our inner critic. It’s made up of the stories we inherited from family, society, and culture.
→ Wonder is the voice of our truest truth. It urges us to listen to who we are, what we’re capable of, and that which we most desire.

→ Worry is useful when it’s within our control, a real possibility, and something we can act on right away.
→ Worry is toxic when it’s beyond our control, and research shows we spend an average of 80% of our time here.

→ When we name our worry and talk to it, we create a distance between ourselves and the voice inside our head. This distance allows us to see the stories we tell ourselves objectively, and choose what we want to buy into.
→ We can learn what our emotions are trying to tell us with the 3 C’s: curiosity, compassion, and courage.
→ Anxiety is not your foe, for example. It’s your very loyal friend that will wake you up in the middle of the night to tell you, “Something isn’t right here!”
→ Envy is an inspiration in disguise, Fear is a signal of what you care about most, Judgment illuminates what you’re not loving within yourself, and Anger indicates what wants your attention right now.

Choose Wonder Over Worry Book Giveaway

When was the last time you held back speaking up because you were afraid? Have you ever delayed taking action because of anxiety, doubt, or feeling like a fraud? Has a belief about “not being _____ enough” ever stopped you dead in your tracks?