How The Best Overcome Fear
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“Whatever you’re doing, don’t give a voice to things you’re not able to change.”
– Vince Vaughn
Welcome to another edition of The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour, where I share the habits and patterns of world-class performers revealed over nearly 300 interviews.
In this episode, we’ll explore fear. Specifically, how to manage, mitigate, and overcome fear, which is something I’ve battled for decades.
This has been such a focal point of my life that my last TED Talk focused on an exercise called fear setting, which is something I practice at least once a month and have found to be a life raft.
In addition to my own experiences, we’ll hear how Sir Richard Branson (@richardbranson), Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova), Vince Vaughn, and Caroline Paul (@carowriter) have battled their own fears.
Enjoy!
Overcoming, Managing, and Using Fearhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/79ea7ade-64c2-4e24-be74-cf825cdd5847.mp3
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Want to hear another episode of The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour? In this episode, we explore meditation and mindfulness with Chase Jarvis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Harris, and Rainn Wilson (stream below or right-click here to download):
#201: The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour: Meditation, Mindset, and Masteryhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/c5eafee8-47a6-4e8f-a36e-48c20f5dd928.mp3
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
Sir Richard Branson — The Billionaire Maverick of the Virgin Empire
Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Wayn by Richard Branson
Finding My Virginity by Richard Branson
What Richard Branson Learned When Coke Put Virgin Cola out of Business by Catherine Clifford, CNBC
The Elders
Mental Performance, Work-Life Balance, and the Rise to the Top — Maria Sharapova
Unstoppable: My Life So Far by Maria Sharapova
Wimbledon 2004 Golden Moment — Sharapova vs. Williams
How to Fear Less: Vince Vaughn
Fear{less} with Tim Ferriss
Total Immersion: How I Learned to Swim Effortlessly in 10 Days and You Can Too by Tim Ferriss
Star Wars: Mark Hamill Screen Test Audition
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
Conquering Fear and Reducing Anxiety — Caroline Paul
Fighting Fire by Caroline Paul
The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure by Caroline Paul, illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton
Why Do We Teach Girls That It’s Cute to Be Scared? by Caroline Paul, The New York Times
Brave Is Built, Not Born: Why We All Need Microbravery Now by Rachel Simmons, Girls Leadership
Show Notes
How does Richard Branson cope with feeling overwhelmed? [09:03]
What’s Richard’s non-alcoholic choice when he doesn’t want to drink during a social event? [13:09]
What’s Richard’s favorite failure? [15:09]
How does Maria Sharapova feel about the word “rejection?” [20:00]
Maria details the importance of surrounding yourself with quality people who inspire rather than drain when in the limelight — and how to tell them apart. [25:39]
A recent experience that allowed Maria to step out of her comfort zone, make new connections, and grow. [31:15]
Vince Vaughn knows that fear is usually more crippling than the actual consequences. [34:16]
Vince’s advice for beginning actors coping with rejection. [38:23]
Microfailures as an inoculation against rejection. [42:09]
Vince shares a traumatic experience from his high school days and what it taught him. [43:02]
The role of sports — particularly wrestling — in Vince’s development. [45:39]
Caroline Paul relates a terrifying experience she had as a firefighter. [52:54]
Caroline’s pro-bravery strategy for coping with fear. [56:05]
If you’re trying to change your relationship with fear, where do you start? [1:00:46]
People Mentioned
Richard Branson
Maria Sharapova
Vince Vaughn
Caroline Paul
Tony Robbins
Matt Mullenweg
Nelson Mandela
Kofi Annan
Nick Bollettieri
Josh Waitzkin
Sven Groeneveld
Chris Sacca
Michael Jordan
Wayne Gretzky
Marcelo Garcia
George Washington
