As a child, I wanted to become three things; Race car driver, fighter pilot, or stuntman 🤩
I’ve always had the daredevil personality, enjoying activities that most people prefer to avoid.
That being said, I wouldn’t ever label myself as an “adrenaline junkie”. That’s because I don’t do these things to increase my heart rate. In fact, I’m relatively calm in high stress, fearful situations.
Why am I calm? It’s because I’ve prepared. I’ve calculated the risks. I’ve practiced and done hundreds of reps. I’ve failed extensively and kept trying again.
I’ve also learned to control my emotions because I understand mental clarity is required when successfully executing stressful situations. When distracted by emotions, you’ll make costly errors.
So, how do you become more courageous and learn more emotional control? Here are some tips:
1) Memento Mori. This is Latin for “Remember you must die.” Accept this as fact. You can live your entire life fearing death, but you will never escape the outcome. We all die. If you’re always playing safe, I’d say you haven’t lived. Take more chances.
2) Self-Awareness. Don’t blame your temper on your parents. You control your actions and your words, not them. When things trigger you emotionally, learn to pause before you respond. Emotionally weak people react, wise self-aware people respond. Practice this every day, in common situations… such as road-rage situations.
3) Challenge yourself by doing difficult things. A good example is public speaking, it’s ranked 2nd among all fears… right after the fear of dying. Public speaking won’t kill you. Everyone can do this, it just takes investing in skills and doing the reps. Hire a coach, join Toastmasters, face your fears. Your confidence will increase each time you overcome a fear.
4) Stop giving up and quitting too soon, or pivoting too often. This is unfortunately a common habit. If you set goals, become relentless and keep pushing to improve. Many of my successes have come as a result of simply outlasting others. Think in terms of 5-10 years, not months. Your confidence takes a dive every time you quit, every time you pivot. Avoid that!
Hope this message helps. 🧡