Fear is Incredible

How to use it to your advantage

Fear

Since FEAR is one of the dreaded "F" words. Let's talk about it.

I'm not going to give you some run around about how it means F$%# Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise.

Fear is amazing! Think about how it has shaped your behavior since you were little. Remember when you had to leave the bathroom light on because you were afraid of the dark? You would get yourself out of bed, go to the closet, check the inside and then once you were satisfied that the monsters weren't there, you would head back to bed.

Fear made you do this. What else does fear make you do? Do you not wear what you want because you are afraid of what people might think? Decline to post things online because you are afraid of how people might react to it? Do you not speak your mind because you are afraid of what people may think of you?

Sidenote: People are WAY too worried about themselves to have time to think about you as much as you think they do.

Back to the point here. What if there was a way to use this incredibly powerful emotion for your benefit? You would be an absolute superhero of epic proportions. Absolutely nothing could stop you. All it takes is a change in mindset.

What if instead of worrying about how people might make fun of you at the gym, you become afraid that you could feel the way you feel about yourself right now, for the rest of your life? Which one is worse? I don't know about you, but I would rather deal with the perceived ridicule (even though no decent person would ever ridicule anyone who is trying, that is sadistic).

What about instead of being afraid to leave that job you hate, becoming afraid of feeling the way you feel about going to work every Monday, at this same job, for the next 40 years? Which is worse?

When I was first learning to fly, I realized that flying is all about overcoming fear. When you go up alone or "solo" as they call it in the business, for the first time, it is the scariest thing in the world! You roll down the runway, faster and faster, the wheels leave the ground and you have the immediate thought of, "Oh my god! What if i'm not good enough!? I have to get this thing back on the ground on my own!" Wow! What a rush! There is no way to describe the amazing feeling of self reliance and pride when you land and...overcome that fear.

Self reliance is so important. It builds confidence where there wasn't any and it prepares you for the next steps. The key point here is that there isn't a way to be prepared for the next step without pushing through that fear and coming out on the other side. Once you do that, you will feel confident enough to take on the next challenge. It's like dominoes. Knock the first one down and then watch.

After I had passed my instrument rating (this is where you are taught to fly with more precision, according to air traffic control instructions, and without necessarily being able to see outside.), I didn't fly instrument for about a year. I was busy working on my commercial and Certified Flight Instructor certificates.

I would put off flying instrument because I had let my fear get too deep and guess what, it became my limit. This is exactly what fear does and it's REALLY subtle. At first, I was only afraid, then it stopped me from acting completely. Fear left unchecked will stop you from progressing. The further and deeper it sets in, the harder it is to get past it.

So now you're like, "Well if you know everything in the world, how the hell do I do that?" First, I admit I know nothing other than what has worked for me, and that was, start with the smallest fear you have. Confront the hell out of that one. Take the small win and then move on to a slightly bigger one and do it again. Repetition and going from small fears to large fears. Before long, you will be an unstoppable fear killing machine, living your happiest life.

Sounds fun, right?

Takeaways:

• Analyze your fears, what can you do to work on breaking past them? Which ones need to be broken through with a sledge hammer and which ones just need a nudge to get them back down? Find this out and act accordingly.

• Don't let your fears go unchecked. The fastest way to make any progress is staring that fear bastard straight in the eyes and not letting him win. The way I have found to do this is to imagine how I will feel after I have conquered it. This is usually enough to get started.

• Once you conquer that first one, remember EVERYTHING about how great it felt and how awesome you feel. This will be your fuel in the tank to continue taking over the world.

Thanks a lot for reading this! I really appreciate it.