- Joined
- Nov 14, 2011
- Messages
- 2,486
Rep Bank
$5,240
$5,240
User Power: 433%
The Truth About Fear
What if you didn’t actually fear failure, and you only feared uncertainty? Being uncertain about what would happen after you make a new decision?
Our brains are outdated
Chris, Billy, and John were cavemen living in North America tens of thousands of years ago. They lived in a small tribe made up of family and trusted friends. They lived in caves, and kept warm by a fire at night. This was primarily a hunter-gathering society.
One morning, Chris, Billy and John left the security of the tribe and wandered off into the forest to hunt for meat. Deep into the forest, they had a choice of going down one of two trails. If they went down the right trail, they would discover an abundance of game to hunt, and bring back to the tribe to live on to see another day.
But if they went down the wrong trail, the entire tribe was at the risk of starving to death. Billy went down the trail to the left on a whim. He ran off into the distance in hopes of finding a family of deer to hunt.
Billy was a risk taker.
The need for certainty in your decisions
Chris and John were smarter than that. To ensure their survival, they had to be 100% certain that the trail they were going down would be the correct decision. If they made the wrong decision, it would ensure death for them and their loved ones.
Requiring this certainty, they waited and waited for the perfect moment to know what the right decision would be. For days, they stood at the edge of the trailhead. Finally, by a stroke of pure luck, they notice a family of deer off to the right.
They run off in chase of their next meal, knowing that this choice would pay off, and they would be guaranteed success due to their expert hunting skills.
Success!
Five miles down that trail, they catch up to the family of deer and pick out the largest one. After a quick pursuit, their meal is caught. This will provide the tribe enough food to eat for weeks.
On the way back to their cave, they notice a very attractive female picking berries off in the distance. Chris was cautious. He lived by the motto “It’s better to be safe than sorry”. Fearing rejection and failure, Chris carried the meal on his back towards the cave and made the safe decision.
John, on the other hand was more of a risk taker. He went off into the distance to flirt with the unfamiliar girl. The moment he said hi to her, the alpha male of her tribe appears from around the corner and sees John flirting with his girlfriend.
Filled with anger and rage, this man attacks John. The other males in the tribe join in on the fight. John made a simple decision to say hello to another person, and eventually, John paid the toll with his life. He shortly died due to the severity of his wounds.
The outcome of their decisions.
Chris returns to his tribe with the meal, never to hear from Billy or John again. They made the wrong decisions, and they paid for it with their lives. Eventually their bodies were found. These deadly outcomes were not isolated incidents, and quickly word spread throughout civilization that it is better to not take risks, and live within their comfort zone.
In caveman days, the ones who survived to pass down their genes to future generations were the ones who were cautious, and didn’t take risks. They didn’t try new things and they didn’t talk to unfamiliar people. This lesson was reinforced throughout many generations.
It was important to be certain of an outcome to have success, and it was better to wait in their tracks for the right moment. This need of “certainty before taking action” was programmed into the unconscious minds of humans.
The DNA of those major risk takers was not able to reproduce in as much abundance due to them being weeded out of society from their reckless actions.
Fast forward to now
This false need for certainty and fear of the unknown is still buried deep inside our unconscious minds as a survival mechanism. The problem you thought, is that is no longer useful when it comes to taking new actions and risks into your life.
Outdated beliefs
· If you make the wrong business decision, you will live.
· If you flirt with a girl who has a boyfriend, she will say she’s taken, and you will live.
· If you made the wrong decision, you will.
These traits that once served us well in the past are no longer useful to us in the sense of stepping out of our comfort zone in modern times. We all know in the logical (conscious) sense that we won’t die if we take the wrong action on our business, or if we approach an unfamiliar member of the opposite sex, but the real change doesn’t happen based on our conscious mind.
Real change happens in the unconscious.
You are in a good position because you are now consciously aware of why you may have been not taking action.
What are you going to do differently now?
What if you didn’t actually fear failure, and you only feared uncertainty? Being uncertain about what would happen after you make a new decision?
Our brains are outdated
Chris, Billy, and John were cavemen living in North America tens of thousands of years ago. They lived in a small tribe made up of family and trusted friends. They lived in caves, and kept warm by a fire at night. This was primarily a hunter-gathering society.
One morning, Chris, Billy and John left the security of the tribe and wandered off into the forest to hunt for meat. Deep into the forest, they had a choice of going down one of two trails. If they went down the right trail, they would discover an abundance of game to hunt, and bring back to the tribe to live on to see another day.
But if they went down the wrong trail, the entire tribe was at the risk of starving to death. Billy went down the trail to the left on a whim. He ran off into the distance in hopes of finding a family of deer to hunt.
Billy was a risk taker.
The need for certainty in your decisions
Chris and John were smarter than that. To ensure their survival, they had to be 100% certain that the trail they were going down would be the correct decision. If they made the wrong decision, it would ensure death for them and their loved ones.
Requiring this certainty, they waited and waited for the perfect moment to know what the right decision would be. For days, they stood at the edge of the trailhead. Finally, by a stroke of pure luck, they notice a family of deer off to the right.
They run off in chase of their next meal, knowing that this choice would pay off, and they would be guaranteed success due to their expert hunting skills.
Success!
Five miles down that trail, they catch up to the family of deer and pick out the largest one. After a quick pursuit, their meal is caught. This will provide the tribe enough food to eat for weeks.
On the way back to their cave, they notice a very attractive female picking berries off in the distance. Chris was cautious. He lived by the motto “It’s better to be safe than sorry”. Fearing rejection and failure, Chris carried the meal on his back towards the cave and made the safe decision.
John, on the other hand was more of a risk taker. He went off into the distance to flirt with the unfamiliar girl. The moment he said hi to her, the alpha male of her tribe appears from around the corner and sees John flirting with his girlfriend.
Filled with anger and rage, this man attacks John. The other males in the tribe join in on the fight. John made a simple decision to say hello to another person, and eventually, John paid the toll with his life. He shortly died due to the severity of his wounds.
The outcome of their decisions.
Chris returns to his tribe with the meal, never to hear from Billy or John again. They made the wrong decisions, and they paid for it with their lives. Eventually their bodies were found. These deadly outcomes were not isolated incidents, and quickly word spread throughout civilization that it is better to not take risks, and live within their comfort zone.
In caveman days, the ones who survived to pass down their genes to future generations were the ones who were cautious, and didn’t take risks. They didn’t try new things and they didn’t talk to unfamiliar people. This lesson was reinforced throughout many generations.
It was important to be certain of an outcome to have success, and it was better to wait in their tracks for the right moment. This need of “certainty before taking action” was programmed into the unconscious minds of humans.
The DNA of those major risk takers was not able to reproduce in as much abundance due to them being weeded out of society from their reckless actions.
Fast forward to now
This false need for certainty and fear of the unknown is still buried deep inside our unconscious minds as a survival mechanism. The problem you thought, is that is no longer useful when it comes to taking new actions and risks into your life.
Outdated beliefs
· If you make the wrong business decision, you will live.
· If you flirt with a girl who has a boyfriend, she will say she’s taken, and you will live.
· If you made the wrong decision, you will.
These traits that once served us well in the past are no longer useful to us in the sense of stepping out of our comfort zone in modern times. We all know in the logical (conscious) sense that we won’t die if we take the wrong action on our business, or if we approach an unfamiliar member of the opposite sex, but the real change doesn’t happen based on our conscious mind.
Real change happens in the unconscious.
You are in a good position because you are now consciously aware of why you may have been not taking action.
What are you going to do differently now?
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
