The Courage Formula.
You Need Fear (And Some Other Stuff).
We both know that reading a few paragraphs wonât make you fearless.
For the same reasons you wonât stand a chance in the ring with Tyson in his prime -or even now- after reading a few blogs on boxing...
Or watching the â5 secret hacksâ and any viral Instagram reel...
Heck, even if you knew Tysonâs training regime, you wouldnât stand a minute with him (I wouldnât too)âŚ
Knowing is not enough.
You have to put in the reps.
Fortunately, unlike fighting Tyson in his prime or now and having a Netflix cash grab -no hate here, business is business- becoming braver is intangible⌠Until itâs not.
I canât promise you a countable metric, like losing 5 kgs in 7 days, making $1,000 overnight, or sleeping with 3 amazing gals -or dudes, no judging- this weekend.
What I can promise you is this:
If you set a specific âenemyâ (I will explain pretty soon), then you can add more courage to yourself.
No matter how tiny this might feel. And do so fast. Even tonight.
The word âcourageâ originates from the Latin word cor, meaning âheartâ.
So courage is a heart word. To be courageous is to be brave. To love in its truest meaning!
If you need to be stronger for what lies â or may lie â ahead... keep reading.
Before Anything Else, We Need An Enemy.
You need to set up a challenge right now. Think of the ONE thing you are afraid of.
And if you canât think of one, here are some pretty common places to start:
Fear of failure â The spotlight illusion and the paralyzing thought: âWhat if I mess it up and everyone sees?â
Fear of rejection â Social, romantic, professional. The sting of âNOâ stops you before even trying. Well, if you donât ask, the answer is already NO.
Fear of judgment â Constantly calculating how others see you. It kills authenticity.
Fear of not being good enough â Impostor syndrome in disguise. Perfectionismâs partner.
Fear of the unknown â Change. Risk. Chaos. The void that keeps us stuck and hidden.
Fear of success â Sounds odd, but many sabotage once theyâre near the summit.
Fear of speaking up â Public speaking, confrontation, setting boundaries.
Fear of abandonment â Deep-rooted. Transforms you to a people-pleaser.
Fear of being seen â Visibility feels like vulnerability. So you hide your genius.
If you are afraid of something specific like spiders, dogs, or geese (I understand why), this guide will help you too⌠As long as you are ok with trying some things.
No matter what you will choose, always use caution, logic, and common sense (which is not so common).
You are an adult. Act like it.
A long time ago I chased the Slenderman. No caution, no logic, no sense.
Since you are reading this you know I survived.
But letâs leave that for another time.
Ready?
Do not proceed before deciding one fear to beat!
Done?
Are you sure?
Point forward I assume you have a specific fear you need to dominate.
Sweet. Letâs move.
What Is Fear?
If you are still into Marvel, fear is your Spidey sense.
Itâs our ancestorsâ survival software.
We still have it... but havenât done any serious updates so far.
Ancestors had to deal with physical dangers we fail to comprehend.
Fear warned us that:
Something lurks in the dark
Something bad might happen soon so we need to move, hide, prepare
A stronger beast is approaching
Someone near is not a friend â something near might destroy us
Having fear is what made ancestors cautious... and what led to us being alive.
Fear protected them from tigers, traitors, thunders, and cold nights.
Of course, the #1 quality we humans possessed was agency (check here to read more and here to do more if interested). But I digress.
Fear never left, for we always have dangers around us.
Even if these dangers mean a lot less harm than the old days and a lot more discomfort. Using the same examples:
Something lurks in the dark â Fear of the unknown
Something bad might happen soon so we need to move, hide, prepare â Fear of uncertainty
A stronger beast is approaching â Fear of not being enough
Someone near is not a friend â something near might destroy us â Fear of danger
If you donât understand your fears, they wonât go away.
You will just live in an illusion that you are fearless... while ignorance of fear is just another form of cowardice.
Which brings us to one of the classic, timeless, gusto-esque comics of all time.
Asterix And The Vikings
Do you like Asterix? Then you are in for a treat.
These crazy Galates were all about humor, camaraderie, adventure, playing, winning.
In an old-time favorite episode, Vikings kidnapped a âfear championâ to teach them fear.
Why? Because they thought that fear gives you wings -unlucky Vikings, there wasnât Red Bull back then-.
Wonât spoil the fun for you, but this is a frame I remind myself of over and over across the years.
The Bad News?
At some point you will have to face your fears.
One way or another. One place or another.
Whether you like it or not.
Whether you are ready or not.
The Good News?
Fear is a friend.
Think of fear like a weird but no-BS trainer.
Fear is part of life. Itâs what life throws at us to prepare for real dangers.
For discovering ourselves. For living richer, fuller lives.
Faint heart never won fair maid.
â Shakespeare
Fear helps you strengthen your heart no matter what.
Fear (Not Terror Or Danger) Is Your Preparation Buddy.
And preparation is everything.
Fear helps you prepare yourself for when the real danger approaches.
Under pressure, you donât rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training.
Navy SEALs
And speaking of army, time to get tactical:
Some Weird Math
Made this equation for you:
Notice that in the numerator thereâs multiplication.
Meaning that with zero fear, purpose, or action, there is no courage.
No action = you are hidden under a rock
No purpose = you have no WHY, nothing matters
No fear = you are not human (or you are a plain idiot)
HIGEN: My father taught me it is glorious to die in battle.
ALGREN: That is what he believed.
HIGEN: I would be afraid to die in battle.
ALGREN: So would I.
HIGEN: But you have been in many battles.
ALGREN: And I was always afraid.
Last Samurai (2003)
Notice that in the denominator thereâs a simple summation:
The more illusions you have in your mind, the less your courage (false beliefs, imaginary beasts lurking around the corner or in the dark, you name it)
The more doubt, the more paralyzed you will be
The more comfort, then your courage will be lesser, as domestication makes everyone soft
The more expectations, the less you are focused on doing the thing, in flow, and actually being bold
My homework for you
Use the below prompt to start being bold(er) right now.
Itâll take you less than 5 minutes to start:
{
Prompt Title: Fear Reversal Protocol
Act like a fearless field instructor who trains everyday people to face lifeâs psychological minefields like warriorsâusing clarity, not chaos.
Your job:
1. Ask the user to name one thing they know they *should* do but are avoiding.
2. Ask them what kind of fear is hiding under it (or offer likely suspects if they donât know).
3. Briefly remind them what fear *really* isâa survival signal, not a stop sign.
4. Use that fear as a training partner, not an enemy. Build a bold but bite-sized action plan for today.
5. Wrap with one 5-minute mission they can complete *now* to start building courage reps immediately.
Tone:
Blunt, supportive, no fluff. You donât sell bravery. You train it.
Take a deep breath and work on this problem step-by-step.
}
You can run it in any AI, including the one that matters the most: your Actual Intelligence.
Knowledge is not power, amigo. But applied knowledge can be.
Thanks for your time.
Time to be bold(er).
Talk soon.
Lifeward,
George
PS
This high agency training is now open and comes with a free trial too.
Give it a look any time you are ready.
No pressure.