Welcome to The Quiet Rich, your weekly guide to a quiet mind and rich life. Today, I’m giving you the #1 method to shrink your worries (especially when facing a big decision).

CONTEXT

One year ago today, I made the decision to leave my career at Google.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Fortune favors the bold.” But when it comes to actually putting in the two week’s notice? I didn’t feel bold or courageous. What if I can't get health insurance? What if I walk away from this salary and regret it forever? What if my business doesn’t work out?

Here’s the thing I wish someone told me sooner.

Fear is a mile wide, but an inch deep.

I love the way Leila Hormozi explains it in this video. When we look at something from afar, it’s a daunting ocean. But if we just take that first, tiniest step in? We’ll realize it’s a puddle. We might even laugh, saying “This is what I was so afraid of?”

That’s what we’re doing today. We’re putting our toe in the water to realize it’s only an inch deep, and we can easily walk across it.

Maybe you:

• Know you should leave your job, but you’re afraid of the uncertainty. (That was me. 👋)

• Need to have a tough conversation, but you’re worried about how the other person will react.

• Want to move somewhere new, but you’re worried about starting over.

• Think you should end a relationship, but you’re afraid you’ll never meet someone better.

Here's the exact exercise I did at my kitchen table before I gave my notice. Put on your rain boots, and step in.

METHOD

Step 1: Get a pen and paper, or open a blank note on your laptop. Give yourself 20 minutes of uninterrupted time.

Step 2: Write down the decision you’re avoiding. Be brutally honest: Mine was: "I want to build my own business and try to land a book deal, but I’m scared of leaving the stability of my job. I'm terrified of making the wrong move."

Step 3: Ok, take a breath. This is the part where you step in and find out exactly how deep the water is. Write down the absolute worst case scenario. Get specific. If everything goes catastrophically wrong, what would it look like? Is the decision irreversible? When I did this, I wrote: "My business could fail. I could burn through my savings. I’d have to get another corporate job."

Reading it on paper, I almost laughed. That was it? That was the monster under the bed?

Step 4: Reality check. On a scale of 1-10, how likely is that worst case scenario? Probably not a 10… I rated mine a 2 or 3. And if it did happen, there’s a lot you could do to recover. You're much more resilient and resourceful than you think.

Step 5: Flip the script. What if things go right? What’s the best possible outcome? "I build a coaching business I love. I write a book that helps potentially millions of people. I have location, time, and financial freedom." Rate that upside on a scale of 1-10. Mine was a 10. The upside outweighed the downside by a landslide.

Step 6: Final question: What is it costing you to postpone this decision? If you make zero changes, where will you be in one year? Five years? I wrote: "Still at my desk. Still wondering 'what if.' Still watching other people build the life I want."

That last part made me close my laptop and start drafting my resignation.

Sometimes the biggest risk is not taking any risk at all.

WHY IT WORKS

I'll be honest—I still procrastinated putting in my two weeks' notice for another 10 days after doing this exercise. Change is hard, even when you know it's right.

But one year later? Ben Meer and I both signed major book deals with our dream publishing houses. Our coaching community, Archimedes, has grown beyond what I dared to imagine. And that "worst case scenario" I was so terrified of never came close to happening.

As the saying goes, “The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.”

Whatever decision you've been circling for weeks (or months, or years)—give it 20 minutes at the kitchen table tonight. Get it out of your head and onto a page. You might realize the water is only an inch deep.

And what if it all works out…?

Much love,

Jade

P.S. In the past few years, my life changed dramatically—and it’s entirely thanks to growing my personal brand on LinkedIn. To everyone who already joined Archimedes, Ben and I will be sharing quite a bit about our book deals over the next few months.

If you’re not in our coaching community yet, the next cohort starts May 18th! Only 6 days left to get our Bias For Action discount. Read tons of member case studies and apply: JoinArchimedes.com

I can’t wait to personally help grow your brand (and your dream business) on LinkedIn.