How to become fearless

Published on September 25, 2009 in truth. View Comments Tags: , , , , .

The man with intention

Want to be as fearless as 007 or Gandhi? Fearless people are rare but extremely effective in changing the world around them for better or worse.

1. What do you really fear?
Know what the underlying reason for your fear is. It’s not a person or thing that causes you concern but what you’re afraid to lose. If you’re afraid to mention something to a friend, you don’t fear him or her but the loss of your pride, friendship or something else you have that’s important to you.

If you want to be fearless you must have nothing to lose.

2. Consider both sides, then decide
Fear is natural and is a good thing. It is a warning that you may be negatively affected in one way or another. Again, you may be affected, not will. We assume that our feelings tell us what to do, but they simply provide us with information. Weigh your options, think about what you can or cannot lose and then make a choice.

If you don’t think before dealing with fear, you’re neither brave nor cowardly; you’re stupid.

3. Do what you’ve decided
If you decide to fight your fear you might face failure, but the sting of failure is better than the deep wound of regret you will have for not having tried. You may not get a second chance.

Once you’ve made your choice stop thinking and just do it.

Am I fearless? A lot more than I was a few years ago. I know what I’ve lost to get this far.

“A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” – Timothy Ferriss

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Related Posts: How to better your life, Fearlessness: trying it out

  • saeed
    tell me about in easy language I did not understand
  • anopenscroll
    Hi V, Thanks for your comment! You're on the same page as Angela who commented earlier. In my opinion (and it's just an opinion) different people draw inspiration from different sources. Is one source better than another? I'm not so sure. Also, after reading your comment I'm going to bet that you're from India ;)
  • V
    Gandhiji is a great example of fearless, but these fictional characters don't serve a very practical purpose. In essence, how can I apply the quality of fearless, or develop rather, the quality of fearless in my life. There are many great examples in history, if we are willing to open up the books and read about them. Great characters in history are (and aren't limited to) Bhagat Singh, Shivaji, Martin Luther King Jr., Chanakya, Veer Saavarkar, Joan of Arc, Rani Laxmibai... Just saying that we can really study the lives of these people and gain inspiration instead of fantasizing the lives of fictional characters, no matter how great they may seem to be on the screen.
  • Anna
    I like the analogy to James Bond. As Alan said, he's a popular pop-culture icon that most people know (and consider cool, even if he's fictional). I dig 007 (I like the Jason Bourne character as well).
    Well said Alan. Rock on, baby!!
  • Angela
    I can understand aspiring to be like Gandhi, but James Bond? I guess you can wear a nice suit and drive a nice car - maybe you can even carry a small pistol on your person which you'll probably only use to shoot empty bottles in your back yard, your neighbor's cat, or yourself in the foot. You'll drive around town looking for some action which you'll soon realize is non-existent, so you'll end up driving to a shady part of town and contemplate picking up a prostitute because James Bond always gets the girl, right? You'll probably end up at a night club - you'll have to leave your pistol in the car, and you'll end up drinking the night away (and no, probably not martinis).

    You'll drive home alone and drunk with an unlicensed pistol concealed in your glove compartment, get pulled over by a cop for swerving, and spend a long time in jail where you'll convert to some strange religion and devote the rest of your life to being like Gandhi. So why don't you just skip the whole James Bond fantasy charade, and decide right now to be like Gandhi. Just my two cents to anybody aspiring to be like James Bond.
  • anopenscroll
    Thanks for your comment Angela. Despite 007 being imaginary and Gandhi being real, they're both very well known as examples of fearlessness and many aspire to be like them.
  • Angela
    It will also be good to study people who are/were fearless. As you mentioned, Gandhi and 007. But remember 007 is a fictional character while Gandhi was real. Do not do what characters do in movies - most of that is not fearlessness but showbiz - and it would be stupidity to repeat almost anything 007 does.

    But study real fearless people like Oprah, Tupac, Will Smith and Jesus. May seem like a strange mix but these are the people that first come to my mind when I think of fearless.

    - Angela
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