Credit: RA2Studio
Fear is nothing more than a mental monster you have created, a negative stream of consciousness.
Source: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.
It is better by noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half of the evils we anticipate than to remain in cowardly listlessness for fear of what may happen.
Source: Herodotus
Which animal is responsible for the greatest number of human deaths in the US?
Alligator
Bear
Deer
Shark
Snake
DEER…In a typical year, deer are responsible for roughly 130 human fatalities - 7x more than alligators, bears, sharks, and snakes combined.
Source: Your Money and Your Brain.
I selected the quotes above because they emphasize the irrationality of our fears. Most of our fears will never actually happen. Yet, fear is such a debilitating force of nature for so many of us. Below is an example of my own struggles with fear:
I am at the point with hockey where I can sit back and reflect honestly on the struggles I had earlier in my career. One of my biggest inhibitors to success was my inability to overcome the mental monsters I constantly created in my head. I feared making a costly giveaway in a close game. I worried about letting my teammates down. I was scared of the repercussions after a bad game like: getting bumped out of the lineup or yelled at by a coach. As a result, I was often paralyzed to start games. Instead of diving right in, I would just dip my toes in and slowly wade into the action. If the game started off well, I would loosen up, I would get more aggressive and creative, and the fear in my game would start to dissipate. If the game did not start off well, fear would rear its ugly head. I would tighten up, I would simplify my game to limit potential mistakes, and I would just try to escape the game unscathed.
There’s a common term used in the NBA world to describe a fearless player: he’s an “irrational confidence guy.” It’s the player that has missed 9 shots in a row, but still takes that 10th shot with complete confidence. For some it’s definitely more innate than others, but it’s a mindset I think we should all try to adopt for whatever our competitive pursuit is. Attack the objective with complete conviction. Don’t be fearful. Don’t hesitate.