Fear is the mind killer

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings obliteration.
I will face my fear and I will permit it to pass over me.
Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
—Frank Herbert, Dune

I must not fear

In Dune, Paul recites this mantra in times of danger, a reminder that while fear is inevitable, it doesn’t have to rule us.

Courage

Facing fear requires courage—to be brave in spite of fear.

Be scared. You can’t help that, but don’t be afraid. —William Faulkner

Bravery is feeling fear and acting anyway. Each time you overcome it, your courage grows—like a muscle.

We become brave by doing brave actions. —Aristotle.

Why start?

No one achieves greatness without facing their fears. Left unchecked, fear is a mind killer.

Cowards die many times before their deaths. —Shakespeare

Courage hacks: burn bridges, take risks

Commit to something that you fear by making it impossible to back out. Sign up, pay in advance, or tell someone who holds you accountable. When retreat isn’t an option, you can’t chicken out.

I demolish my bridges behind me… then there is no choice but to move forward. – Fridtjof Nansen

Take risks, it builds courage. True courage comes from within, from acting despite fear—fear of failure, fear of looking foolish, fear of rejection, or fear of uncertainty.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Challenge: pick something that scares you—and commit. I signed up for Toastmasters International to tackle public speaking, paid the $45, and committed to going to the next meeting. What fear will you face? You’ll be happier…and braver, for it.

INVICTUS
by William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul