Confession time: what irrational fears do you have? I actually started typing out a different "I'm so afraid of xyz happening" complainy-pants post, but as I struggled to articulate it I ended up poking fun at myself instead. It was surprisingly therapeutic! I was able to kick myself out of the anxiety I was feeling and reminded myself of just how many positions of strength I was operating in.
So, post your irrational fears here! You can mock yourself or undertake a little self-therapy, as I have.
*Edit* I was originally using the "irrational" label to mock my three somewhat rational fears, so I've added a completely irrational fear here. :)
Fear: I count steps, and I try to use my right foot on the last step every time. I have this weird fear that if I don't, something terrible will happen.
My original (somewhat) rational fears:
Fear: I'm wasting my life at a job I don't care about
Reality: While I relate to the original poster in
this thread, where I genuinely don't care about the work I do and have very little passion, I'm doing this for a reason that
matters to me. I have the historically rare opportunity to save and earn so much money that I
never have to work for essentials again. What an awesome thing!
Fear: I have this nagging fear of losing my job and being unable to find another job that pays as much (thus severely impacting my time-to-FI).
Reality: This is doubly irrational as I contrast it with my first fear! I work in a growth industry, and my role directly produces revenue. By all metrics, I'm doing fine and may even be slightly better than average (I've confirmed this with my management and in my own metrics). I have no debt (not even a mortgage!) and thousands and thousands of dollars saved up. I could quit now and live for
years without starving. I have a genuine desire to improve, and a willingness to listen. I am a highly employable person.
Fear: I'm afraid I'm not good enough--a fraud, waiting to be exposed.
This is the most annoying attribute of my high-achieving personality. Internally, I have these little voices that push me to gain acclaim. I keep a mental list of "achievements" to prove my worth. I'm aggressively goal-oriented and relentless in achieving external accolades. Literally any metric that is used for measurement of worth turns into an internal competition (including, ironically, FIRE).
Reality: I'm no more a fraud than anyone else. Everyone deals with weaknesses, and though I'm acutely aware of mine, nobody else cares about my weaknesses as much as I do. The world doesn't revolve around me, and I'm just another collection of dust in the wind. In 100 years I'll be dead, and my gravestone (if I'm lucky enough to have one) will last longer than I did.
What am I really worried about? Your turn!