This advice was given to me by a business executive who struggled with anxiety while playing roulette. I shared with him the wisdom of William James, who believed that anxiety could be useful when making decisions, but once a course of action is chosen, it's important to let go of any worries or concerns and allow your mind to be free. The executive was thrilled to discover that this mindset helped him overcome his anxiety and function more creatively and effectively. 

He had observing other players who froze up with worry once the wheel started turning, instead of preparing and thinking ahead before placing their bets. He realized that the best time to worry is before taking action, not afterward. By following this principle, he was able to let go of worry and allow his mind to be free, resulting in more creative and successful outcomes. This principle can be applied in various aspects of life, whether it's in making business decisions, pursuing a creative endeavor, or even in everyday tasks. 

In order to free your creative potential, it's important to do your worrying before making a decision, not after. This idea was shared with me by a business executive who had a weakness for roulette. He had heard a quote from William James that said that emotions of anxiety have their place in the planning and deciding upon a course of action, but that once a decision is reached and execution is the order of the day, you should dismiss all responsibility and care about the outcome, unclamp your intellectual and practical machinery, and let it run free. 

He found that this advice worked "like magic" in helping him overcome worry, and at the same time function more creatively and successfully. He realized that he had been doing the same thing in his business and personal life, often making decisions or embarking upon courses of action, without adequate preparation, and worrying over how it would come out, whether he had done the right thing. He made a decision that in the future he would do all his worrying, all his forebrain thinking, before a decision was made, and that after making a decision and setting the wheels in motion, he would dismiss absolutely all care or responsibility about the outcome. 

He found that this principle works in a hundred different little personal ways, for example, worrying about going to the dentist or making a speech. 

He discovered that much nervousness and anxiety is caused by trying to escape or run away from something that you have decided to go through with physically. He used to detest social gatherings and go along only to please his wife or for business reasons. He went, but mentally resisted it, and was usually pretty grumpy and uncommunicative. He decided that if the decision was to go along physically, he might as well go along mentally and dismiss all thought of resistance. He found that last night he not only went to what he would formerly have called a stupid social gathering, but he was surprised to find himself thoroughly enjoying it.

I believe that it is important to focus on the present moment and not worry about the future or dwell on the past. Our creative abilities can only function in the present, not in the future or past. It is important to make long-term plans and preparations for the future, but worrying about how we will react in the future or dwelling on the past is not productive. Instead, we should give our full attention to the present moment and allow our creative abilities to respond and react to the environment in a spontaneous way. This way, we can ensure that our creative abilities are working effectively and responding appropriately to what is currently happening, not to what may happen in the future.