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You are here: Home / Beliefs / Day 21: Fear-setting

Day 21: Fear-setting

June 16, 2012 by Mikey D 9 Comments

Today we will be doing another technique that I have borrowed. This time, the technique is called fear-setting, and comes from Tim Ferris’s book The 4-Hour Workweek, which I highly recommend.

I timed this exercise to come right after yesterday’s starting from zero technique for a good reason.

The starting from zero technique is extreme, and a lot of people are probably afraid to take the mental leap necessary to do the exercise properly.

By the end of today, that type of thing shouldn’t be a problem anymore!

After all, risks are only scary before you take them.

“Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.” This quote from the book is a profound one.

From observing those around me, I can see the truth in that statement. It seems so absurd that this would be the case, and yet, so many people seem to follow predetermined paths that were set for them that they don’t even seem to enjoy at all!

The essence of fear-setting is to transform that unknown into a worst case scenario.

If there are things that you have always wanted to do but were too afraid to start doing it, figure out what the worst possible situation would be if you decide to do it.

Usually it won’t be nearly as scary as the unknown potential results of your actions.

In order to conquer fear of the unknown, we must turn it into something known.

Think about all the things you decided you wanted in your dream life yesterday.

We’re now going to try and define what might be stopping you from taking the plunge and just doing it.

For the following questions, write down as much as you can, and don’t think about your answers too much. Just go with your first thoughts and put everything down.

 

1. What is the absolute worst that could happen if you did what you were thinking of doing?

If you started doing the actions necessary for accomplishing your dream life, what is the most awful failure that could possibly happen? Would there be any permanent impact?

Put as much horrible, horrible detail in as you can. How likely is this worst case scenario to happen?

 

2. What steps could you take to repair the damage?

Even if they are only temporary solutions, how would you manage to get your situation back under control?

Although you may need to be creative, it’s very likely that there are somewhat easy or simple ways to repair any damage.

 

3. What are the outcomes of more probable scenarios?

How likely is that that you could produce at least a moderately good outcome?

What are the temporary and permanent benefits you might gain, both internal (such as confidence) and external, from these more likely scenarios?

 

4. What is it costing you to postpone action?

Oh, what an important question to ask yourself!

We rarely consider the financial, physical, and emotional costs of NOT doing things.

But this is just as important as measuring the cost of action!

If you don’t do these things you want to do, where will you be in one, five, or ten years? What will your life be like?

As Ferris says, “If you telegraph out ten years and know with 100% certainty that it is a path of disappointment and regret, and if we define risk as the likelihood of an irreversible negative outcome, inaction is the greatest risk of all.”

 

Once you’ve gone through this exercise, you will have a much better feel for what it is that has been holding you back. You should also see that what you have been afraid of was hardly warranted at all!

Move on to Day 22: Conquer Your Fears.

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Filed Under: Beliefs, Lifestyle, Stress

Comments

  1. Mohan says:
    February 14, 2017 at 1:41 pm

    Thank you . My Current Position is such No Visa ( I am in another country ) No Bank account No Insurance No House No wife No children No work ( We cannot work without a Visa ) I lost everything as I was cheated so to start off I need some capital . So from where do I start .

    Reply
    • k opt says:
      April 5, 2017 at 1:36 pm

      how about find out where you want to be – make a list;
      make a plan to achieve each;
      execute your plan;
      review/adjust your plan;
      go back to to step 3.
      then reassess your progress and where you are in a year.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Day 20: Starting From Zero Technique says:
    January 18, 2013 at 10:48 am

    […] Continue on to Day 21: Fear-Setting. […]

    Reply
  2. Day 22: Conquer Your Fears says:
    January 18, 2013 at 11:00 am

    […] Day 20, we started from zero and decided what our ideal lifestyle would be like. Then on Day 21, we defined our fears which prevent us from taking the steps necessary to make that ideal lifestyle […]

    Reply
  3. Is Micro-Avoidance Ruining Your Confidence? says:
    January 28, 2013 at 4:42 pm

    […] micro-avoidance is all about fear. See if you can pick out what fears might be underlying any of the examples of micro-avoidance […]

    Reply
  4. The Abundance Mentality: A Complete Guide says:
    January 29, 2013 at 4:28 pm

    […] things. But if you were truly honest with yourself in answering them, you probably came up with some kind of solution, […]

    Reply
  5. Reframing Your Thoughts And Making Yourself Happier says:
    January 31, 2013 at 10:37 am

    […] yet in the end, these horrible things rarely happen. The thoughts cause pain by twisting yourself into thinking that things are not “kol […]

    Reply
  6. Personal Responsibility | Life Quest says:
    February 2, 2014 at 9:20 pm

    […] Don’t be afraid to take risks or make important decisions. Don’t be afraid to mess up, even though it can be “scary" to take responsibility for your actions. It’s even scarier what you may have missed by acting out of fear. […]

    Reply
  7. Reframing Your Thoughts | Life Quest says:
    February 2, 2014 at 9:59 pm

    […] yet in the end, these horrible things rarely happen. The thoughts cause pain by twisting yourself into thinking that things are not “kol beseder" […]

    Reply

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