Where does fear manifest in your life?

We mask the fear that confronts us daily with logical, rationalised reasons. It’s the hesitation to make that call, the reluctance to raise your hand, or the avoidance of that difficult conversation.

• The fear of not being a good son.
• The fear of leaving the world worse than you found it.
• The fear of being left behind by your peers.
• The fear of what others think of you.
• The fear of reprisal for advocating for yourself.
• The fear of losing a loved one.

All these forms of fear are from within. We self-medicate with imagined realities creating narratives that stop us from acting. If fear could be quantified, it would likely be the single biggest factor in decreasing productivity, both macro and micro - it's probably why you procrastinate.

Fear creeps in daily in small inconspicuous ways, but it can also crash down like thunder. When drip-fed into our routines, it becomes a mounting burden. When it strikes suddenly, it jolts us with adrenaline and spikes our heart rate. We’re hardwired to fear, yet in modern life, it often functions more like a bug in our system than the once-useful evolutionary red button that signalled us to GTFO.

Understanding your fears and how they influence the decisions you avoid, helps you become a better version of yourself. To confront fear is to confront your own thinking. Most of the time, doing so allows us to move more freely, efficiently, and without regret. It cuts out anxiety, stress, boredom, procrastination, and inaction.

If you feel like you're stuck in a hamster wheel, the root cause may be fear more than anything else. There’s no shame in being afraid, only regret in not facing it.