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Yolo folks!
The big 100 is up š¤ÆĀ
Thatās phenomenal! I recall starting this two months ago and thinking - āwhoās even going to read this?!ā
Yet, here we are. And weāre just getting started. To those who read, engage and share - know that I appreciate it. A lot! Youāre the best š„
Now letās get a-chattināā¦
Stuff in my head
Shortness of breath. Your heartās beating like an increasingly loud drum in your chest. Tense muscles, clenched jaw. Hyper focused senses.
Itās your best friend: fear.
He used to be a practical āguyā back in the day (over 10,000 years ago). Warn you when a saber-tooth tiger was going to jump out and bite a chunk out of you while youāre busy picking berries.
Now heās just an anachronistic pain in the ass. An outdated signal that failed to keep up with the change in our habitat.Ā
Like your annoying neighborhood uncle who hasnāt kept up and prefixes everything with āback in my dayā¦ā. Yes, we know - but itās not 1957 anymore.
Over the evolution of our species from monkeys to well, talking monkeys, we've changed the world. Thereās no longer any danger of being eaten for lunch (unless you want to be). 98.9% of all fear we experience today is psychological.
Iām not saying that we shouldnāt feel fear, but maybe the reaction should be different? Iām sure thereās a tiny difference between ātiger lunch buffetā and giving a presentation.
Yet the mindās ānaturalā response remains unchanged.
Its evolutionary growth failed to keep up with the rate of human development. While nature works its magic over generations, humans developed all this jazz in the past few hundred years. And tripped the living shit out of themselves as a result. Way to self-sabotage, brain.
But there are ways to recalibrate your ānaturalā reaction to fear. To make it useful again. And it starts with saying hello to your dear friendā¦
Something Tim wrote
āFear Settingā is to name and bring your fears to life.
Then sit with them and see thereās no tiger waiting for you. Itās what I did when I quit my job earlier this year.
Worst case: go back (no, thank you).
Better case: survive in the first year, then thrive.
And I keep doing it whenever I face another one. I seem to have an endless supply, which is just marvelous. Iām doing it at the moment as I venture into freelance work (what if I SUCK?!).
Anyways, read more about it here. Tim Ferris has written multiple bestsellers (including āThe 4-Hour Work Weekā), has a blog, newsletter, podcast and god knows what else. He seems to know what he's doing.
Un-chuckle worthy tweet
The point is to treat fear as a signal to take action, rather than as a stop sign.
Itās the best signal there is in an otherwise noisy world. Spectacular at cutting through hordes of self-made, well crafted bullshit.
Also, please stop deluding yourself with said bullshit for why your fears are the single, most unique ones in the world. Trust me, Iāve been afraid most of my life - theyāre not. And that road only leads to becoming a sad sack of regrets. So maybe stop walking on it.
Time to act before next weekās episode
7 episodes out, Iām still afraid of publishing this newsletter. Every single time.
Iām afraid of it sucking. Afraid of freelance client work. Afraid of putting myself out there, for the world to ājudgeā.
But the first step to getting good at something is sucking at it. Looking silly. Even risking being misunderstood (in the short term). Embarrassment is the gatekeeper that filters out the ārealā ones from the ones who only talk.
Deliberate iterations is the logic Iām using to calm my ass down. Incremental improvement with each turn. Iāll share how it goes as we progress.
So, have you tried something similar?
Now, itās time to head back in. Here boyā¦ where are you, you goddamn tiger?
Till next time,
Adi
PS: As this newsletter matures, so do I. I think. A bit? Iām constantly experimenting with the format. Focusing on more nuanced quips and increased value for you. All such experiments are mini fear trials (āwhat will people think!?ā) - but as weāve seen, that doesnāt matter.
As always, suggestions are always welcome. I love banter (duh), so hit that reply button, comment on the website or book a call if you want to chat! Iād love to hear from you.
Awesome issue Adi. Congrats on 100! Very deserved.
More than the fear of the unknown it is the sense of not having the situation in control which causes all anxiety.