It’s opposite day today. What you were told is bad for you, is actually good for you. Before you get carried away and jump off a high place, let me clarify. I am not talking about doing stupid things that might take you to meet your maker. I am talking about the everyday practical challenges that make you afraid. Afraid of trying out something new, change, embarrassment, rejection, failure.

Our brain is wired for survival. And a good rule of survival is that familiarity is safe, and the unknown is to be feared. On top of this, conventional wisdom is generally wrong. I will argue that fear is nothing more than an opportunity to grow.

Philosophy of Fear

Stoicism – besides being one way of being associated with the “hipsters” – offers practical solutions to life’s big problems.

Go ahead and have a listen to this 9min reading of Seneca’s Letter # 13, which is titled “On Groundless Fear”. If you don’t have 9min, then listen at 1.25x, or 1.50x. Then do yourself a favor and bookmark it or download it to your phone. It will come very handy in future, I promise.

For your convenience, here is a very short summary on how to deal with fear, based on Seneca’s Letter # 13:

1. Remember the times you handled a challenging and fearful situation in the past. You can do it again.
2. Perhaps this thing that you are afraid of will never come, so why worry. And even if it does come, it will pass, so why worry.

Cure for Fear

There is only one cure for fear, and it is action! Something can only be “new” for the first time. Ask yourself: “what is the worst that can happen?”. And if the answer is not that big of a deal, then go for it. Chase the storm, go to where the fear is.

Change is about conditioning. Compounded over time, it becomes habit. Which further compounds to become personality. I suggest the following very simple conditioning to not be afraid:

Do one thing every day that scares you

Start with simple things, then increase the dose daily to push your limits. Depending on the individual, asking for an extra cream in your coffee might be a cause of fear. Or, for the brave, bungee jumping with your arms tied around your back might be fearful. Whatever it may be, do one thing daily.