Magical Thinking: the downside

I’m writing some stuff about people who have experienced, shall we say, turbulence in their careers. They are all very sharp and talented and managed through to great success, but for whatever reason, they had to buckle their seat belts periodically. I also happen to be doing something on anxiety disorders, and here’s what I’ve noticed. The people who found their way through some pretty bumpy patches (notice I’m trying not to mix metaphors) all commented that they were always moving toward something they loved. They didn’t focus quite so much on the practical, even though they had families to support and all the usual issues. The worriers are a different story. One therapist told me about a patient who has to take the bar exam in nine months, and the guy said, “You know, I’m going to have to start worrying about that right now.”  The hard core worriers see worry as a talisman, warding off disaster. It’s magical thinking at its best. The only problem is, it doesn’t work.