Update:
No one has any anecdotes, huh? No one? Really? No one has every conquered any fears or has been hesitant to take a big first step in their life? Maybe I'm just a huge sissy then. Personally, I constantly find myself in turmoil with fear and anxiety. I have woken up in cold sweat and breathless. Am I alone in this here?
Doubt it. If the biggest badasses in the world get studied by the largest navy in the world over how they manage their fear, then I think there is some universality to it.
Mark Twain said: "Courage is NOT the absence of fear, but rather the mastery of it."
We need fear to be courageous. To step out of our comfort zones and to conquer.
No pun intended with the "bell ringing"
Please watch these videos and discuss in the comments about your own experiences with fear, anxiety, and over-coming them.
I think the lack of response has more to do with the fact that these Navy Seal trainees undergo such extremes that our experiences, by contrast, seem unworthy.
ReplyDeleteThat said, my biggest fear is of failure, and it stops me from growing because I hate to be a beginner or less than stellar at anything. And that is not realistic!!
In my singer-songwriting days, I pushed myself to perform in front of audiences just to get my music out there. But it terrified me.
I used to get really nervous at the start of Rugby games. You'd line up for the start and just stare at all the girls that were about to pummel you for 80 minutes. But then the game would start and it'd all melt away, because you had to move!
ReplyDeleteBerkeley's women were the scariest. HUGE. like 6' and 3.5' wide.
As an aside, despite the fear that I'd get in the lineup, I loved Rugby more than any sport I've ever played. I think I enjoy all that adrenaline you get from events like and the camaraderie.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to life stuff I tend to always think, 'Eh, jump in. You'll figure it out as you go.' Which seems to work pretty well for me most of the time.
I think the mental talk is big. It got me through a lot of physical pain that I had in my marathon. It's amazing what your body can do if you're convinced you can do it. After completing it I was mad about the time, because I didn't do as well as I wanted to. Everyone kept saying to me, "Well at least you finished!" That baffled me. Not finishing was never an option in my mind. I would have had to been taken off in a stretcher before I didn't finish.. but that's kind of the way I am.
I think the only thing I get really strong fear override from is really small spaces. I don't like the thought of getting stuck in a cave or something. But I haven't had a lot opportunities to work on that.
Any sort of running is very mentally challenging for me. The most challenging workouts for me have been Death by 10 meters and the sprints up Bruinwalk. Sure, they are both physically very challenging, but that's not what really gets me.
ReplyDeleteI was practically paralyzed at the bottom of Bruinwalk, trying to psych myself up for another sprint. I *knew* my body could handle it, but just couldn't make myself start. (thanks for the patience, Russ and Elisa and the other 6:15ners who waited and cheered).
My turning point, mentally, was the Murph. I thought there was no way I could start and finish with a mile and do the body rows, push ups and squats in between. Liz told me she just told herself no matter how slow she was running, that she wouldn't stop. I tried it, and it worked.
I still have to talk myself through any running, keep telling myself that I will keep going, I will not stop. It doesn't always work, but its getting better at least.
That's exactly what I was looking for. Great job! Although few people stack up against SPECWAR operators when it comes to managing fear, it's all relative. We all face fears every day. Personally, I can't imagine raising a kid. That scares me to death. I too fear failure and that often prevents me from starting things as strong as I could or should.
ReplyDeleteThis is where self-talk comes in. We must always remember to speak positively inside of our heads. Just like Andrea said, instead of thinking "don't quit", it's better to think "keep going". We have to imagine our selves as good as what we want them to be. We can never outperform our self-image, so set it high and push your self to accomplish rather than to merely prevent failure.