Anxiety highlights something that is known and troubling.

In doing so, it shifts the target of our attention away from what is wanted. Away from something that is wanted to the idea that it may not happen, which in itself is also anxiety.

To secure what is wanted, the mind then sets out to deal with the known that is experienced as troubling and chooses to reject it, avoid it, or solve it.

It’s a period during which what was wanted doesn’t receive the full attention anymore and might even be forgotten.

Becoming comfortable with the possibility that what is wanted might be obtained or not can serve us well here. It creates more space to evaluate whether it is useful to shift one’s attention away from what is wanted to what is feared. Thus, it raises the chances of achieving what is wanted instead of what is feared.