Auction Anxiety

Elise had spent weeks preparing for the auction. She knew the numbers, knew the ceiling, and had practised staying calm. But the moment she stepped into the crowd her body betrayed her. Her palms were damp. Her pulse jumped. Every bidder looked like a threat.

When the auctioneer started, the energy in the air shifted. People laughed, nodded, called out bids with ease. Elise felt her chest tighten. Her thoughts scattered. A small voice inside whispered that if she did not jump in now she would lose everything.

She raised her hand too early.

Then again.

And again.

Each bid pushed her further from her plan. Her fear of missing out was louder than her strategy. Her emotions were running the auction, not her logic.

Halfway through she caught herself. She recognised the state she was in. Fight or Flight. Fast breath. Narrowed focus. Surging urgency.

She stepped back from the crowd and placed her feet firmly on the ground.

She took slow breaths.

She repeated her limit aloud.

She checked her emotional season and reminded herself she was in Growth, not Chaos.

When the auctioneer called for another rise she felt the pull to keep going. She also felt the clarity returning. She let the moment pass. Someone else took the bid.

She walked away without the house, but she walked away intact.

Later she realised the final sale price sat far above the property’s true value. Her restraint saved her from years of strain.

The win was not the purchase.

The win was staying sovereign in the face of fear.