Anxiety Is The Thief of Dreams | Books By Tony Mudd

I knowFor the last 17 years, I’ve been in a fight — not one you can see with your eyes, but one that wages war inside my mind, my chest, and my body. I’ve battled anxiety since I was 15 years old. And let me tell you — anxiety doesn’t just whisper doubts — it roars. It doesn’t gently tap on your shoulder — it crashes through your front door like an unwelcome intruder, creeping into every corner of your life.

Anxiety is real. It’s not nerves. It’s not “just being worried.” It’s a full-body experience that paralyzes you from the inside out. Your heart races like you’re running from danger, even when you’re sitting still. Your stomach tightens into knots. Your mind turns into a courtroom, and you — the defendant — are guilty of every wrong decision you’ve ever made. Anxiety makes you question everything. Every choice. Every opportunity. Every dream. It convinces you that success isn’t for people like you.

It tells you the unknown is dangerous. It whispers that stepping outside your comfort zone will lead to failure, embarrassment, disappointment. It makes you believe that staying small, quiet, hidden — that’s the safest route. But here’s the truth: Anxiety is a liar. A loud, convincing, persistent liar — but a liar nonetheless.

Imagine your body is your home. Anxiety is like a snake slipping under your doorframe, coiling in your living room. You feel its presence long before you see it — a racing pulse, sweaty palms, a tightness in your chest. It sinks into your gut like poison, making even simple decisions feel impossible.

Other times, anxiety feels like germs entering your bloodstream, weakening your defenses until your confidence is nothing but a memory. You become a hostage inside your own skin — watching life happen outside the windows, too scared to step out the front door. It’s real. It’s exhausting. And it will steal your dreams if you let it. Anxiety thrives in the unknown. It feeds on uncertainty. And the hard part? Every dream — every goal worth having — lives on the other side of uncertainty.

That means anxiety will always show up when you’re chasing something bigger. It shows up when you start a new job, launch a business, write that book, apply for the opportunity, or take that leap of faith. It shows up because your brain, in its effort to protect you, equates “unknown” with “danger.”

But here’s the hard-won truth I’ve learned over these 17 years: Sometimes, the greatest strength comes from jumping anyway.

Even with your heart racing. Even with your hands shaking. Even with your mind screaming every worst-case scenario it can imagine. You jump. You fight. You push back against the voice that says, “Stay small. Stay safe.”

I’ve watched anxiety almost steal opportunities from me. It’s tried to convince me I’m not good enough. It’s told me I’m making the wrong decisions. It’s whispered that success is for people with more confidence, more certainty, more courage.

But I’ve also learned that courage isn’t the absence of anxiety — it’s the willingness to move forward despite it. Every time I’ve chosen to lean into the unknown — every time I’ve dared to believe that my dreams were bigger than my fears — I’ve taken a piece of my power back.

Anxiety may never completely disappear. But it doesn’t get to run your life. You can’t control when it creeps in, but you can control whether it gets to stay. Whether it gets to call the shots. Whether it gets to keep you stuck or push you forward.

For anyone out there reading this — if anxiety has been your unwanted passenger — I see you. I am you. But don’t let anxiety steal your dreams. Don’t let fear become your ceiling. Don’t spend your life stuck in the hallway, staring at a closed door.

The unknown is scary. But sometimes, it’s the only place where growth, success, and your truest self live. You deserve that life. You deserve those dreams. You deserve to be free — even if your voice shakes and your knees wobble as you walk toward it.

Anxiety is a fight — but it’s not one you have to lose. Fight back. Jump anyway. And remind yourself every day — your dreams are bigger than your fears.

For more information, please feel free to visit my podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERmN7l9BsRw

#booksbytonymudd #success #hope #inspire #blog

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