My journey to find truth, beauty and satisfaction
I’ve now met all kinds of people. The saints, the snobs, the beautiful, the ugly, the loaded, the poor, the friendly and the assholes. Here’s what I’ve learnt:
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about life and living. After moping for a while I realized something simple and profound. It hit me like a bright light shining in my face: you have to be excited about your life. Perhaps I can help you with getting there.
Start with this question you’ve likely heard many times before: “What would you do if you woke up with a million dollars?”. Don’t laugh it off. It could be the most important thing you will do. Take as much time as you need to think about yourself while answering. In my case, I don’t care about living long but I while I’m here I would like to fly and make music (among other things). Don’t forget to dream big. What you say will determine what you will be able to accomplish. If you don’t dream big for yourself do you think that someone else will do it for you?
Grab a piece of paper and jot down your initial 
goals. Then expand on all possible avenues you can use to get there. To put my thoughts down I use a free mind-mapping program called Freemind but a pen and paper will do. Make sure you don’t throw away what you write! You and your dreams might change over time so don’t forget to keep reviewing and modifying your plans as you need to.
You must become fearless in order to face two obstacles: yourself and the people around you. If your plans for life don’t intimidate you at all then you’re not dreaming big enough. After fighting my fears for the last six months I have begun to reap its rewards. To learn more about how I started read this entry.
Even though you have big dreams make sure you start small. This is essential to build up your confidence and experience. As you inch towards your goals you may have to work hard and face failure but if you are excited about where you are headed you will be able to endure. If your dream does not excite you then don’t waste your time pursuing it!
Don’t forget to continually track yourself. Write down what went wrong and how you can improve. For goals that involve developing a daily habit keep a journal or use a tool such as Joe’s goals. Benjamin Franklin is famous for using charts to track his virtues. Finally, when you hit a milestone don’t forget to note what you have accomplished. This will help encourage you when you are feeling down.
What are you waiting for?
Update: You can view a mind-map that I’m using on this page.
In the three weeks since I wrote “how to become fearless” I’ve put my words to the test. My accomplishments may seem trivial but each of them required me to step out of my comfort zone. I have:
Here’s what I’ve learnt: fearlessness is very addictive. Its also self-reinforcing: the more you face your fears the easier it becomes.
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.
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.
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 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.
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