Overcoming Your Fears to Become Victorious
With life comes the changing of the tides, and also where those who stay stagnant will perish. The moment human emerged from caves some 200,000 years ago, those who adapted to the situation were the ones who lived to see another day. Those who were weak, sick, or old were usually the first to die. Humans aren’t too far above the wild beasts of the African savannah. The difference is now you have the ability to choose whether to be weak or strong and in the end, everyone survives. Previously if you chose not to act, if you chose to remain overweight, if you chose to be defenseless you would have a short lifespan. But alas, the world has been fruitful for so long that many forget the daily struggle of the day to day.
Whether in the gym, on the mats, with the family, or in the office there needs to be watchful eyes on the task at hand. The moment you relinquish control due to oversight or just simple laziness you are in turn placing yourself in danger. Now, what is the modern 21st century “danger?” Thousands of years ago, danger could lead to death. If you decided to leave the cave without a plan, it could mean your demise. If you lived in the Sierra Nevada’s in the 1800’s and decided to go out by yourself to hunt, you could very well not come back. With all of that being said, many have forgotten what true strength and courage looks like. With years of growth in technology, and for the most part years of peace, the modern world lives in a state where words and thoughts hurt more than physical action. We are living in a time where a majority have never even pushed themselves past their known boundaries. The reason? One word…” fear.”
If you took the time to break down everyone’s excuse as to why they can’t quit their job, they can’t get to the gym, they can’t start their own business or they can’t leave their current shit relationship it’s because of fear. It is the true cancer of why many will indefinitely live a mediocre life until they have someone wiping the drool off their face in some wretched retirement home. Regardless of your current lifestyle and how you were brought up, everyone is afraid of something. The difference is allowing it to define how you live your life, or conquering it due to your internal drive for refusing to be associated with the average, meek, and ordinary. Fear exists on a subconscious level and assists in our decision making of certain tasks. Too many look at it in a negative light, when in reality it has helped humans survive this long for a reason. Although, the biggest issue is when you allow fear to dominate you instead of you dominating fear.
It comes to envisioning and nurturing the growth of an unbreakable mindset and to never allowing fear to be the decay to your goals. There really isn’t any type of “hack” or secret to growing this mental tenacity throughout your life other than purposely placing yourself in areas of discomfort whenever possible. Scared of public speaking? Go to a Toastmasters event. Scared of going to the gym being the new guy? Sign up at your local gym and hire a certified trainer. Scared of asking for that promotion? Prep and rehearse what to say to your superior. Scared of making your side hustle into your main job? Prep accordingly, know your shit and give your work the two-week notice. Scared of starting something as combative as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Do your research, find a legitimate gym, and sign up. The answers are undoubtedly simple, it just comes down to you taking that leap into the unknown. You need to be comfortable being uncomfortable on a consistent and religious level, to a point where there is rarely a pause into committing to something new. Fear will always be a part of your life, what it comes down to though is being able to put it in check when necessary. You control the path that you take to glory, make sure it’s a difficult one full of soft gravel, steep ledges, and unpredictable terrain. Only then will you find what you’re truly capable of, only then will you find true and unwavering happiness in your life.
Written by: Ian Strimbeck