hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn how to become fearless now let's
begin what would it be like to live a fearless life is it really possible to pursue your dreams
without feeling doubtful hesitant or insecure the truth is that fear isn't something you can
overcome once and for all the sooner you process that the sooner you can understand what it means
to be truly fearless there will always be new and challenging things that scare you life will never
run out of hurdles roadblocks and chances for you to fail but that doesn't mean you're doomed
to be timid and apprehensive for the rest of your life once you learn how to become fearless you can
grab your fears by the horns you can use them to your advantage your fears become stepping stones
toward the future that you've always imagined for yourself but to make that happen you have
to transform the way you think about fear start by really internalizing the idea that your fears will
never disappear completely no one not even the most confident people in the world can charge in
headfirst without feeling some degree of fear that just isn't how the human brain works and
even if it was you'd be doing yourself a massive disservice on an evolutionary level fear keeps
you alive it's a fundamental response ingrained in almost every complex organism on the planet
it's been around for millions of years providing animals with protection against physical mental
and social danger a cat for example might be afraid of a dog that dog could cause physical
pain so the cat instinctively responds with fear stress hormones start flooding the brain
it's breathing and heart rate quickens its body tenses up the cat goes into fight-or-flight mode
because it feels like its life is on the line but fear isn't just an evolutionary lifejacket
in many ways it's risk possible for keeping you sane and reasonable fear plays devil's advocate
for every good and bad decision that you make if it weren't for your fears you wouldn't have
the sense to think before you act imagine you're about to go cliff-diving seems like an awesome
idea right you've seen dozens of videos of people doing it before but just when you're about to jump
you get scared you think to yourself what if it isn't safe what if there are actually rocks hiding
under the waves sure enough do you take a closer look and realize you nearly jumped onto a bed of
underwater boulders if it weren't for your fears you could have gotten seriously injured you would
have done something you'd regret for the rest of your life because your fears weren't there to keep
you in check while your fears can stand in your way they also make the best things in life worth
doing many of the most rewarding experiences are only possible because at first you were scared out
of your wits you see for something really positive to happen it often starts with something negative
let's say for example you realize that you're failing one of your classes you've always been
afraid of failure so your fear kicks you into high gear over the next few months you work tirelessly
to improve your grade and your hard work pays off against all odds you earn yourself an A in
the class won't that good grade feel ten times more rewarding than the easy a you've had since
day one your fears work the same way you might spend years convincing yourself that you can't
do something maybe you've backed out and run away more times than you can count but when you finally
summon the courage to face your fears guess what happens you achieve something to be proud of you
make a memory that lasts a lifetime and you learn crucial lessons about yourself and your limits my
point here is that fear serves an important purpose but this fact raises bigger questions
about what it means to be fearless if fearless isn't terminating or getting rid of your fears
then what is it people who are fearless know one thing with absolute certainty fear is strong but
you are stronger in other words don't pretend that your fears are meaningless or insignificant don't
brush them off like they aren't worth your time listen and pay attention to your fears so you can
find the most rewarding ways to overcome them now most people don't realize this but fear is
a great source of direction it tells you where specifically you need to grow and improve as a
person let's say you get scared every time you have to start up a conversation with a stranger
it's tempting to pretend that your fear doesn't exist to make believe that you really are secure
and assertive no matter how often your brain tells you otherwise so you decide to do something the
vast majority of people do every single day you stuff those fears as far down as you can hoping
they'll just disappear but here's the bad news they're not going anywhere denying your fear is
like putting a band-aid over a broken bone the band-aid might cover up the break but it's never
going to heal it that's why fearless people treat their fears like new opportunities each one is
trying to open your eyes to something that you're lacking maybe you aren't happy with where you are
in life or you're not confident because you don't feel like you've done anything to be proud of
these are the kinds of fears that people hold on to for decades without realizing they don't
have to be scared of anything every fear from a fear of heights to a fear of success starts and
ends somewhere there's always a reason why you're afraid and a way to get those fears under control
that's why the first step to being fearless is having the courage to recognize your fears get
them out in broad daylight identify as best as you can where they come from and why they terrify you
a lot of people find it helpful to write them down because it reminds you of the obstacles
that you want to overcome shining a spotlight on your fears obviously is enough to get the better
of them so the second step to becoming fearless is to actively make changes to your life of the
few people who have identified their fears many of them get hung up on step number one they know
what they're scared of and why but they aren't willing to make sacrifices even if they know
it'll improve the quality of their life they feel intimidated because facing your fears seems like
it'll change everything instantly in their mind it's like you're flipping a switch and suddenly
you're a different person but in reality facing your fears changes more about your habits and
lifestyle than your personality and its gradual it's not some instant life-altering transformation
the most important part is that you're willing to make those changes that means doing things you
don't want to do taking risks that you wouldn't normally take and being brave enough to put your
future before your present sometimes that kind of long-term gratification can feel like its own
insurmountable roadblock it helps to remember that your ultimate goal isn't to stomp these
fears out of existence if you used to be afraid of public speaking for example you shouldn't
convince yourself there's nothing intimidating about getting up in front of an audience your
fears were real then and they're real now the only difference is that you have the strength to
listen without giving in you learned how to keep your fears in mind and make your own decisions
unfortunately this strange blindness toward fear happens all the time people forget their fears as
soon as they move past them they immediately lose sight of why they worked so hard to get over their
fears in the first place I can't tell you how many times I've heard people laugh at themselves for
being so ridiculous or naive but what happens when they run into another problem nine times
out of ten they'll sit there staring at this new massive roadblock and feeling absolutely terrified
wouldn't it be more helpful to remember the hard work and confidence that carried you through the
last time don't you want to continue having faith in yourself so that every fear doesn't hold you
right back to square one this is actually the third step to becoming fearless each time you
successfully overcome one of your fears make sure you retain your conviction as you move through
life your fears will get bigger and badder more than ever you'll find yourself flooded by doubts
and searching for answers look I know that sounds scary but you don't need to worry you're powerful
and capable enough to fight back against your fears no matter how impossible it seems just
don't lose sight of how far you've come or how much you've grown every time you take control of
your fears from the tiniest nerves to the largest phobias you're proving to yourself that you
deserve your own trust that you're someone who's worth believing in which brings us to the fourth
and final step fearless people give themselves credit they're able to continuously have faith
in themselves because they recognize their accomplishments as accomplishments overcoming
your fears is challenging and time-consuming it can take months or even years of hard work and
it's something everyone in the entire world struggles with so don't sell yourself short
as you confront your fears give yourself the pat on the back that you deserve you need that
kind of self encouragement so you can continue believing in your ability to succeed hey thank you
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