Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

Being brave does not mean you are not afraid. It means feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

I know this because I have spent most of my adult life using extremely direct methods to test the theory.

The List

Fear of heights? I took up bungee jumping and became a skydiving instructor in the military.

Claustrophobia? I learned scuba diving and freediving.

Fear of predators? I went shark diving.

Fear of snakes, spiders and scorpions? I camped in deserts and forests where all three live. Kazakhstan. Death Valley. The Amazon edge. Various places where the local wildlife has not read the safety briefing.

Fear of being alone and lonely? I travelled solo. Across continents. For months at a time. With no support crew and no camera team and nobody to call when things went wrong at 2am on a Siberian highway.

Fear of losing my job, my flat, my relationship, my social status? I moved to several countries and started over. Multiple times. I gave up a marketing career to deliver newspapers at night. I gave up a flat to live in a van. I gave up relationships to ride around the planet.

Fear of tropical storms, bulls, wild dogs, drunk drivers, accidents, a displaced collarbone, a typhoon, two hurricanes and a tornado in Kansas? I raced around the world in 80 days on a Vespa.

Yes, my methods are harsh. They worked.

What I Learned

Most fears only exist in your head. Not all of them — some fears are entirely rational and should be respected. But the fear of being alone, the fear of looking stupid, the fear of failing in front of people who are watching — those live almost entirely between your ears.

The moment you walk toward the thing that frightens you, it changes. Not immediately, and not completely, but it changes. The shark is less terrifying when you are in the water with it. The solo road is less lonely when you are actually on it. The empty bank account after quitting your job is less frightening when you realise you are still alive and have options.

I was not richer than you. Not stronger, not bigger, not braver. I was an absolutely average man who simply did not want to stay average. I still struggle. I still have fears. I still have mornings when the road feels too long and the tank feels too empty.

But I keep walking.

If I can do it, you can do it too.

Go out there. You will never feel more alive than when you are far outside your own comfort zone.