Hi all. Ok, I know this is small potatoes, but something tonight caused me to start thinking about a larger issue that I grappled with. This particular instance, I think I've got a solid read on. It feels fishy and I can list reasons why. So, *not* paranoia.

But it got me to thinking. So often I find myself wondering whether I'm being paranoid or simply cautious. Or perhaps overly cautious? I wonder if I miss opportunities because I can't really tell the difference and err on the side of assuming if it sounds even so "lofty" as "not crap", it must be out of my league or "something's up", even if I can't produce any evidence. (Yeah, there's probably some self-esteem issues in there too. ) People always say I'm too smart for the jobs I go for. But is it simply lack of self-esteem or is it paranoia/caution run amok? It's probably worth noting that many have expressed incredulity at some of the things I distrust/am paranoid of.*

There was another job-search incident from a couple weeks ago, and even though I don't think I was compromised, it chewed me up half the night (and beyond) worrying over how I "should have seen it" and worrying over every possible implication imaginable, even though there really wasn't much to suggest anything was amiss. This kind of thing really feeds my paranoia to the point I'm afraid to trust or act on much at all. When it doesn't fall into the "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" catagory, how do you tell? How do you tell the difference between caution and paranoia?

Is this something others of you worry about, and if so, any advice for being able to distinguish one from the other?

*(please excuse my dangling participle)