3: The Fear of Nothing?

I find it academically myopic to acknowledge how big the universe is and then plausibly conclude that humans were the ones to uncover the truth about the entirety of it (i.e. religion). So what comes after death? Nothing. 

The other 85% of the world is promised a paradise. 

So why should one ever fear death? If you believe nothing happens after death, then you are scared of nothing.

If your faith tells you that you will one day enter the gates of paradise, then you have nothing to be scared of.

Fail until it kills you. Besides, what’s there to be scared of?

First Attempt In Learning.

I am horrified that there are people who will live out their entire lives never to have pursued a dream or passion out of fear. Why become crippled by the idea that it wouldn’t work out. Consider this: What if it does? How does that thought not light a fire under you to relentlessly work towards something you want? Imagine what your life would be like if a genie granted you the inability to fear failure. How much would you achieve?

💪Get your reps in💪 

I’m asking for 30 seconds. Close your eyes and visualize that life. What do you see? What are things in that life that I don’t have now? What are the things you are afraid to fail at that prevent you from reaching that life?

The monster under your bed only has as much power as you give it. The moment you feel even the slightest fear, look under the bed. It’s essential that you look EVERY TIME without hesitation. The first encounter with the monster will be scary, but repeated exposure strips it of its power, revealing that terror often resides more in perception than reality. You are the only one who defines a reality that you “fail” in. There is never a way your life is supposed to go. So why fear the uncertainty of the outcome?

Failure is a powerful drug. Try it. Build a tolerance. Get addicted.

Disassociate failure from the lack of validation, or any external metric for that matter. I am eternally grateful for my amazing friends and family. The positive feedback I’ve received regarding my first two newsletters is genuinely euphoric. However, It didn't matter if there were hundreds of people reading it or nobody at all. The purpose of this project is to build a library of my thoughts, so I am doing just that. In the underlined phrase, was there anywhere I mentioned how many people I want to read it or what people will say about it? Obsess over the process without considering what failure looks like. You’ll be able to pursue your goals indifferent to the outcome by never setting a metric for failure. 

💪Your second set of the day💪

Write your goal down on your phone or a piece of paper. Say it out loud. Now, identify the metrics you mentally set up for yourself that aren't EXPLICITLY written in front of you. Write those down. Anything you just wrote shouldn't be considered when in pursuit of your goal. Let those thoughts run through the river.

Become obsessed with a hobby that incentivizes you to fail (it's the gateway drug). Take my love for mixed-martial arts as an example. The only way I get better is to spar with the guy who kicks my ass every time, puts the pressure on me, and brings me into such deep water I’m forced to grow. Is that not the fundamental definition of evolution? Nature follows the unseen but immutable laws that govern its design. Nature ensures that an apple always falls downward, and evolution shapes life in response to its environment. So do not fear: you will evolve, as failing is simply planting the seed for growth. And if failure is unbearable, your end will also result in its end. So, fail until you think you cannot adapt, then fail again.

By desensitizing myself to failure, I become comfortable taking more calculated risks.

To win in life, you must take that risk.  

It is simple.

Challenge Yourself 

⬇️

Fail

⬇️ 

Recognize Your Shortcomings

⬇️ 

Adapt

⬇️ 

Repeat

Stay indifferent to winning but distasteful to comfort, as the comfort of an unchallenged win will fatten your ego but keep you sensitive to failures. To combat this, get addicted to this ceaseless cycle and implement it into every facet of your life. You’ll be surprised to see how much the human body can endure. 

I'm asking you to fail.

No, I beg you to fail.

I hope you get knocked down. 

Because each time you fall, it’ll hurt a little less.

You will fall again, but acknowledging that it’s part of the cycle of success, you’ll enjoy lifting yourself back up.

As always, I urge you to challenge my beliefs.

-Z.Y.