Worry Opens the Door – A Kabbalistic Approach to Clearer Leadership
- Jan 22
- 3 min read
Marc Snyderman is a frequent speaker, serial entrepreneur, and business lawyer. He is the founder of Next Point Ventures, a venture studio that takes an active role in investing as well as a partner in a renowned disruptive law practice.
We all worry, about money, death, change, failure, separation. We worry like we’re preparing to handle it better. But in Kabbalistic thought, worry isn’t preparation at all, it’s permission. It’s an open door that invites the “Negative Side,” doubt, fear, confusion, and chaos.
What’s the remedy?
Presence.
Worry pulls us into imaginary futures, presence grounds us in what’s real. For leaders, founders, and anyone navigating complexity, presence isn’t just a calming practice, it’s a strategic advantage.
Worry isn’t passive, it’s an invitation to chaos. When we engage in worry, we unintentionally let in fear. Fear disrupts decision-making, distorts risk assessment, and erodes creativity. Worry may feel productive, but it drains clarity from the system.
Presence, on the other hand, is where wise action becomes possible. In the present moment:
Circumstances lose their power to distort perception
Fear loses its grip
Creativity re-emerges
Decisions become grounded, not reactive
This is why many leaders misinterpret worry as responsibility, when in reality, it is distraction. Presence closes the door to negativity and opens the path to clarity.
Here are some practical tools to shift from worry to presence:
Interrupt the loop. When you catch the spiral starting, name it: “This is worry.” Naming reduces its power.
Breathe with intention. Three slow breaths, focusing only on the exhale. This interrupts the mental loop.
Ground through your senses. Name one thing you can see, hear, and feel right now. Worry lives in abstraction; your senses anchor you to what’s real.
Ask a better question. Instead of “What if this goes wrong?” try “What’s actually in front of me right now?” The quality of your questions shapes the quality of your thinking.
None of these require time you don't have. They require a moment of noticing, catching yourself in the spin and choosing to step out of it.
Why this matters for entrepreneurs and leaders
Whether you’re negotiating deals, building products, or navigating uncertainty, presence strengthens your decision-making. In my own work, the moments of greatest clarity always came from shutting the door on worry and operating from grounded awareness. Of course, worry creeps in when you’re taking risks as an entrepreneur or a business leader making a critical decision; this is when it’s time to ground yourself. Every day, decisions need to be made for my venture studio portfolio companies, risky calls that invite doubt when you reflect on slower progress or past pivots.
It’s that worry that opens the door to negativity. Presence shuts it and invites clarity, insight, and aligned action. I have “be present” tattooed on my inner arm as an ever-present reminder to battle the negativity of worry.
Your next breakthrough isn’t in the future you’re afraid of, it’s in the moment you’re already standing in.
Read more from Marc Snyderman
Marc Snyderman, Attorney, Entrepreneur, Content Creator, & Writer
Marc Snyderman is a business leader, strategist, content creator, and author, as a hybrid business lawyer and businessman with experience from startup through IPO, his wide background provides a backdrop for success across multiple domains. He is a Managing Director of Next Point Ventures, a premier venture studio in the Philadelphia, PA region, and a Partner with OGC Solutions. Marc's mission is to support small and mid-sized businesses with disruptive models and technology.
