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.
About Amber Rae
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.
In Choose Worry Over Wonder, Amber offers practical takeaways that can be applied to the way we work, live, and love:
→ 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.
Giveaway
Choose Wonder Over Worry Book Giveaway
Any time I am around my in-laws (mother in law a couple sister in laws I have to hold back. So I tend to avoid any encounter or get together with them. I wish I could speak my truth or be my true authentic self but their preception of me is different than who I am.
I spoke up against family and now am ostracized from all family events. Truth is the best.
Last time, may be in High School. I have no problem speaking my mind now.
This sounds like a fascinating, practical, and helpful book. I struggle with anxiety; some seasons are harder than others. To answer your questions, the last time I felt afraid to speak up was with my husband recently. It is crazy how worry/fear/anxiety causes you to forget truth. One truth is that my husband adores me and is for me; we are on the same team. And yet, when conflict occurs, worry/fear/anxiety speaks loud in my mind that I have to just agree with what he says so he won’t be upset with me and really, so I can sweep under the rug all the hard emotions and conversations that come with loving people (because loving people is hard work sometimes!). Listening to worry’s taunting that I will never be a good enough wife, that this was my fault and I should try to fix it quickly, and that something is wrong with our marriage because yet again we are having a tough conversation, — all of that is toxic and keeps me from really validating, listening, and loving my husband deeply because I am stuck in worry.
Crossing my fingers that I win that book. It seems like it could be helpful!
Every single time, especially this blogging thing. So many things I feel I need to share but yes, the inner critic saying I don’t really write well tends to get in the way.
This sounds more like inspiration that just being a food read ❤️ we certainly want to get ourselves a copy
Sometimes you just have to tell the truth and live with it. This book sounds like a good read, I am going to have to check it out.
Michael Satterfield recently posted..The Building Project
Ha! Though I would like to read this, this book is something that I should give to my mother. She worries too much, even over the littlest things.
This looks like an interesting book to read and it sounds that it will help us on how to handle things like the word worry or worries.
I love books like this that help you move forward with your life and overcome your own fears and worries. It can be tough to reach our dreams when it’s ourselves that stopping us from going after them. I think this book will help people realize that.
Alison Rost recently posted..Apple Sharlotka (From Russia With Love)
I am so excited to read this, thank you for the great offer!
I think it’s difficult to speak freely in some instances. I try to speak my mind in most instances but I think I have learnt when to hold back as it can otherwise cause problems you really don’t need.
From someone like me that over worry about everything to much this post is light! I’m hoping to change my toxic worry and deal with my anxiety better!
Oh I relate so much to this. This is something I’ve been tackling the whole year so far. What’s holding me back from reaching my true potential?
Di recently posted..Gardein Southwestern Quinoa Bowl
I could really use this book. I had so many dreams when I was young, but somehow, things did not turn out the way I wanted. Now I am nothing but ordinary, compared to my siblings who are all successful in their chosen careers. I think this is the biggest setback I need to overcome to bring out the real me.
It certainly sounds like an interesting read and so helpful for so many people. As Anthony Robbins once said, ‘Let Fear be a counselor, not a jailer.”
This sounds like something I currently need to read! I think society tells us one way to think/ handle our emotions so sometimes we are programmed into certain ways of thinking.
Iya – Louisa recently posted..The Coconut Tree
I often delay taking action because of anxiety & doubt. This sounds like an interesting book, will have to add it to my reading list!
I was very moved by this post. Such thought-provoking questions. Choose wonder over worry – love the title! Life truly is a journey with twists and turns, some things within our control and some without. And yes I agree, addressing our emotions head-on is the way rather than the burying our head in the sand like an ostrich.
The last time I held back speaking up because you was afraid was probably at least a decade ago. Yes, I have delayed taking action because of anxiety, doubt, or feeling like a fraud, especially in career matters. The belief about “not being _____ enough” often stops me dead in my tracks. I think it’s fairly common for people (especially young women) to lack confidence. I blame it on our culture. Thanks for posting!
I HAVE RECENTLY BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER…..I AM PUTTING OFF AS LONG AS I CAN TELLING MY ADULT CHILDREN…I WILL BEGAN RADIATION TREATMENT IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS….I DO NOT WANT THEM TO WORRY ABOUT ME.
Hi Emma, I’m wishing you the best with your treatment!
I just keep my mouth shut. I’ve learned it’s not worth speaking up.
A few days ago, I was fighting with “not being enough” thoughts.
With a relative of mine. Nothing I said ever made a difference so I stopped talking to them.
I am held back all the time and in everything by anxiety and self doubt.
I have held back my entire life from family and coworkers I have been teased about my weight my whole life and people just talk to me any kind of way most times it’s at work and I don’t want to lose my job
I am my own worst enemy. I feel unworthy and I don’t speak up. All through school and at work I have had an inability to speak up. What’s so funny I graduated from college and law school hating to speak.
I hate to admit that I am far too timid when it comes to talking up. The last time was when my boss asked me if I minded picking up her take out food for her family dinner. It took me over an hour from start to finish and this was on my own time. I get so angry at myself for never being able to speak up.
This sounds like a really interesting book! Shame I wasn’t in time to enter the competition 🙁 will have to check it out online x