Welcome back, or simply welcome if this is your first Mastery Order Newsletter read, friend. Let us dive today into something that has the power to paralyse you into inaction and some way to get rid of it: FEAR.

FEAR… a biological instinct that prevents you from doing stupid things that might kill you. FEAR… the thrill that kicks in with good reason when you are trying to walk on the edge of a cliff. But also FEAR… the irrational sensation that holds you back from the chance of experiencing both the pain of a crushed ego and the joy of victory and success.

If you dream of becoming great, friend, if you aspire to live a great life, but if you feel your heart exploding through your chest from the fears and doubts of even getting started on such a journey, you might want to hear what I am about to say.

Fear is not rational. No one can be fully rational in their choices and actions. But everyone should strive to live with reason and rationality as their guide. Understand that fear is a primal instinct, not a function of your cognitive brain abilities. Observe how, whenever you logically think through your fears, you often find that they have no real basis in reality.

You, just like the majority of us, try to mask your fears in ways that fit your ego. You do this by trying to sound indifferent or careful. How often have you excused your inaction by simply saying that you haven’t tried because the thing is not important to you? Or how often have you pretended to be “just” a bit nervous when you were paralysed by fear?

To overcome fears, call them for what they are. Don’t say “I’m a bit nervous”, say, “I avoid this because I am a coward.” As harsh as it may sound, it represents the truth. It represents something that might actually pull you out of fear and into action. You know this is true because deep down you seek to become courageous.

To live and act in a way that is aligned with your beliefs and values means to have integrity. When you want to do something and believe that it is the right thing to do, but fail to do so because of fear, you violate your core values. Keep in mind, friend, that living true to your principles will always involve a healthy dose of overcoming your fears.

You should be the captain of your own destiny, the master of your fate. You should make the choices and choose the paths that lead you to your goals. If you are ruled by fear, you are giving up your life’s navigation to your fear, and the roads you will travel will lead you to misery and regret.

Do not live your life captive to your insecurities, friend. Here are a few ideas on how to become the master of your fears.

Fear is only a negative thing if you believe that it is. Pain and discomfort are part of progress. You can choose to think about them simply as the pain and discomfort that you experience as your character grows and expands.

Remember, friend, that there is very little growth where there is no discomfort. Dare to see the thrills of your fears as a sign of adventure into unexplored territories, an adventure as grand as sky diving or as basic as talking to a stranger. Be the one who dares to scare himself a little every day.

What if I lose everything? What if I fail? – Sound familiar? The root of your fear and inaction is short-term risk. What you often forget to take into account is the long-term consequences that are far riskier than any short-term blow to your ego. The long-term risk of giving in to fear is that you will never amount to anything. You will leave a mediocre life if you are lucky, and you will become a bitter old grunt looking back on his life and feeling his stomach turn with regret.

Do not be the one who never acts on his fears. You will train yourself into believing that you are a cowardly weasel, unable to take on any challenge. The sting of inaction will stick with you far longer than any blow that you might get to your ego in case you fail.

Keep in mind, friend, that there will be many things in this life that will scare you at first, ranging from speaking your mind freely to street fights and aggressive pushovers. If you act as if you are not afraid, and if you do your best to be more and more prepared in those areas, you will gradually cease to be afraid.

If these points still won’t get you going, remember the previous idea. FEAR IS NOT A RATIONAL THING, so kill it with logic. Ask yourself a question: “If I act, what is the worst that can happen?” What’s the worst that could happen if you apply for a job and don’t get it? You didn’t have a job before, you don’t have a job now. Nothing will change.

What’s the worst that can happen if you give a speech at a conference and mess up? Probably no one will ever tell you anything to your face, some will be disappointed for a short while, and your speech will be forgotten.

You will find that with almost any scenario, the worst that could happen might be temporarily unpleasant but very manageable.

Keep in mind, friend, that fear grows the more you pay attention to it. Learn to acknowledge your fears. Make a quick assessment. Then immediately go for the thing that scares you before your brain has time to over-process it.

So speak your mind, walk into that office and ask for a raise, stand up and defend yourself. Just do it! Security does not exist in nature. Your life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.

I dare you, friend, to be the one who is not paralysed by fears, and I dare you to start being that today. Pick a fear that you’ve had for some time, something you need to do, something you want to do, something that you’ve been continually putting off and challenge it NOW.

Will you become burdened by the weight of your unconquered fears, or will you dare to aim high in life and try to live the adventure of your dreams?

The choice is yours to make!

Grab a piece of paper (or your phone notes) right now. Write down the one thing you’re avoiding because of fear.

Then list shortly:

Worst-case scenario if you do it (be brutally specific – what could realistically go wrong?).

How you’d handle or recover from it (most times, it’s survivable and fixable).

What you’ll miss out on long-term if you keep avoiding it (the real cost of inaction).

This quick “fear-setting” exercise strips away the exaggeration your mind creates. Once it’s on paper, the fear shrinks – it’s just a story you are telling yourself, not your destiny.

Pick the tiniest first step toward facing it (a message, a search, a question). Do that step today, even if your stomach flips.

If these ideas clicked with you, dive deeper into more insights like this by exploring our full newsletter archive or browsing the latest articles on our dedicated articles page!