“There is anxiety, but it comes after you’ve finished filming because it’s out of your hands; people are editing it, they’re cutting it, marketing it. And it’s… part your career sort of rides on that. But when you’re actually filming it’s a team thing and it really feels good there for me.” ~Hugh Jackman
This quote by Hugh Jackman caught my eye. Maybe because it mentions anxiety right from the start and I’m feeling anxious lately. Maybe because he’s talking about the process of work and creation. I’d like to think it is due to the latter. I’m in an interesting time of my life when I refuse to compromise when it comes to the way I want to work. As I evaluate my own career, I see progress as jobs in our society change. Employers are taking the employee’s ideas and styles into account in ways that have never been tried before. Organizations and leaders who want to do more than recreate someone else’s best practices are innovating with vibrant, new approaches to work and the workplace.
It’s exciting. It’s stressful. It causes anxiety.
I don’t think stress and anxiety are all bad though. Often, anxiety drives us to accomplish more, or to try new things in different situations. When I think about it, the negative anxiety only happens when someone else has control over what I think, what I do, or what I create.
They are so worried about micromanaging and editing what everyone else does that nothing new, innovative or productive really gets through the process.

So, I challenge you to think about Hugh Jackman when you have a moment when you’re feeling anxious. Is someone trying to control you? If so, make a sharp turn and think about new ways to address that behavior. You may just find yourself feeling much less anxious at work.