You Don’t Have to be Fearless to be a Risk-Taker

Understand and Harness Your Fear to Thrive

Never let the fear of striking out keep you out of the game.

Babe Ruth

As part of some market research the other day I watched a training course on risk-taking that had me involuntarily letting out a “NOOOOOOO!”.

The woman presenting said to be a risk-taker you have to be fearless. What utter codswallop.

We do want to take risk

Taking risk is such a big part of what life’s about. At least that’s my view. It’s the first time we ride our bike without training wheels. It’s when we’re the first to say, “I love you.” It’s having a tough conversation, it’s starting a new job, changing career. It’s trying something for the first time. It’s going out in bigger surf than you’ve tried before.

When we take those risks, we open ourselves up to opportunity, we open new doors, we discover our strengths and passions. We make our world a bigger place. It’s how we grow, it’s how we keep moving forward in life.  

But we can get held back. Fear and risk are best buddies that hang out together.

You don’t want to be fearless

You don’t want to be fearless - if you are, you're more likely to be reckless. The famous woman, referred to as 'S.M.', who has no amygdala and cannot feel fear, has found herself in potentially lethal situations because of the lack of safeguarding the fear response brings.

Fear is there to protect us, to keep us safe. It’s a primal response and is key to our survival as a species. Fear is something to be respected.

Listen to the fear

What is it trying to tell you? The challenge is to discern the difference between what’s an ‘irrational’ fear and a clear risk that you're not prepared for or capable of dealing with. 

If you are faced with a situation that prompts a fear response that has you backing away, pause for a moment and check in. Is this unreasonable? Is what you’re considering doing within your capability?

Or is this something that is beyond your skills and experience? Something that there is a real clear and present danger you aren’t prepared for.

Get prepared

If what you want is the other side of fear, but there are high levels of risk that you are not prepared for, it’s not a stop sign. It’s a sign that you need to take a longer route.

You don’t start surfing 10-foot waves. You don’t start running by doing a marathon. You don’t start with base jumping.

Instead, you build up to. And by incrementally building up to it, the fear lessens and you can begin to channel it.

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.

Joseph Campbell

 Learn to channel your fear

Kai Lenny (pictured above) is a renowned big-wave surfer. I listened to him talk about his relationship with fear on the Rich Roll podcast (episode #771 - I recommend a listen). The episode is titled ‘Fear is Fuel’. This is a guy who has taken big wave surfing to new levels by not only successfully riding these walls of water but also doing tricks on them. 

Kai says, “Fear isn’t disabling for me – it’s a superpower.” He allows it to consume him, he breathes through it, and then turns it into something that helps him. He channels it into the fight mentality.

He’s clear, “To get to the other side of fear, you have to pass right through it.” 

This doesn’t just apply to physical challenges. It’s the same with dealing with conflict, having tough conversations, speaking up in meetings. The list goes on.  

Prepare as much as you can, breathe, channel the fear and take that step, say the first sentence, start paddling.  

The way forward

Fear is part of life.

So make friends with it. When it pops up, get curious. Ask where it’s coming from, and what it’s telling you. Is there real danger, or is this irrational?

When you’re building a friendship you need to hang out regularly. It’s the same with building a relationship with fear. So take risks more regularly. Deliberately take yourself out of your comfort zone.

Use fear to fuel preparation, but not to hold you back. It’s not about being fearless, it’s about taking action despite the fear. 

Be bold. Be brave. But you don’t need to be fearless to take risks. 

Sarah x