James Clear’s excellent, bad advice

A quote from author James Clear:

“Worrying about the future is like watching a leaf fall and trying to predict where it will land. Stop trying to guess where the wind will blow and get to work.”

I agree. Completely and fully.

James Clear and I are on the same page and probably think very much alike. I’ve been told that many of his productivity strategies in “Atomic Habits” are similar to the ones I wrote about in “Someday Is Today,” so we would likely get along well.

But I also think his advice is meaningless.

Telling someone not to worry does not produce a sudden change in the way that person views the world.

Telling someone not to worry does not make them stop worrying.

In fact, I think advice like this can be counterproductive, serving only to make the worriers of the world feel bad about themselves and their worries.

Sometimes people worry because it’s simply how they are wired. Chemically and biologically, they cannot help but experience anxiety about the future. They can’t turn their brain off with a simple metaphor. Comparing the future to a falling leaf is not the insight required to alleviate their struggle.

Sometimes the solution to this kind of anxiety is medication.

Sometimes it’s a tool like meditation.

Sometimes, it’s a daily practice, such as positive self-talk, a mantra, or therapy, that, over time, can realign thoughts to alleviate, mitigate, or eliminate anxiety, worry, and catastrophizing.

Sometimes nothing can be done. People worry, and nothing they do can stop them from doing so.

James Clear is correct.

Worrying about the future is fruitless, pointless, and counterproductive. It’s often a barrier to peace, happiness, and even success.

I am thrilled that I don’t suffer from an ounce of anxiety about the future or anything else.

But telling people not to worry does not help.

However, this James Clear quote is much more helpful:

“One way to stand out is to look for pockets of low competition.
Wake up early—less traffic, fewer people.
Go deeper or narrower in your field—less noise, more space.
People are drawn to where it is crowded. Look for the quiet spaces inside your areas of interest. Excellence often hides at the edges.”