Fear is one of the greatest inhibitors to success in adulthood. No matter the level of genetic propensity in the resistance of this emotion, I firmly believe that practice and experience are the only way to maximize one’s ability to manage fear. Fear is, of course one of the core human instincts that has served our long history of success as men. The irony to this lies in the establishment of civilized cultures in which physical danger is minimized or removed. The things that our cerebral cores react to are the very things that modern cultures remove for the most part. We are left with fears of things that have more modern consequences.
One of the easiest ways to strengthen self-confidence is to identify things that evoke fear without being accompanied by actual danger of any great degree. Once these things have been identified put yourself in a position to feel and defeat fear repeatedly, until the fear of this behavior eventually dissipates. This should be immediately followed up by further identification and immersion until the next fear also subsides. As each cycle progresses and builds the process itself will bear a more significant fruit than the sum of previously defeated fears. Accept and identify your fears with joy, for they all represent the opportunity to improve.
It appears to me that a prerequisite component of greatness is fearlessly trusting a vision of clarity. Obviously, having a vision that actually contains clarity must also be developed, but that is a complex task that can be addressed elsewhere. Leave fear for the inept and mediocre, where it actually serves the greater good. If you have done the work to achieve the tools to make a worthwhile contribution to society, family, business or some other important endeavor, embrace the inevitable butterflies that occur as a normal manifestation of testing our capacities. I can say from experience that very few times in life will you experience a thrill that rises to the level of defeating fear coupled with tasting success. Yes, the argument can be made that this pleasure is simple self-indulgence and it would be an argument of merit, but in this case you are using your core human weakness in congruence with things that society deems, and actually are, worthy. This is the finest use for the burdens that God has placed upon us. In all information I have gained in my short years on this earth I can say that when congruence exist between man’s instinctual drive, his intellectual logic and his nobility of character, grab hold fast to whatever it is that brings these things together and do not let go.