Anxious is an interesting word.
There are two meanings that are quite different.
Anxious can mean “uneasiness of mind” = worried.
Anxious can also mean “earnestly wishing” = eager.
Worried is dreading while eager is anticipating.
My Story
Historically, I’ve tended to use the word anxious as the word for “eager”.
When I’m looking forward to an event, I’m anxious…or excited.
Years ago, I was working with someone who English wasn’t their native language.
We had a meeting coming up that I was looking forward to.
At the beginning of the session I said, “I’ve been anxious for this meeting to arrive”.
You can guess what happened. They interpreted my words with the “worry” definition instead of my intention “eager”.
The meeting was awkward and even became somewhat confrontational.
We had a conversation after to get our relationship back on track. It was there that the misunderstanding came out.
I was excited about the meeting, and they believed I was worried about the topic.
We smoothed it out and I learned a lesson.
My Perspective
I wonder what would happen if we started using both definitions together.
If we are worried about an event, try to pull out ways to become eager.
Reframe our anxiousness into excitement.
Either way, my lesson is that when you use the word anxious in conversation, be clear.
Are you worried or eager?
Maybe use that word instead.
Your Turn
Do you use the word anxious in conversations?
When you use the word do you typically mean worried or eager?
Will this post change your perspective the next time you want to use the word?