How often do you truly feel afraid?
Last month, free solo climber Alex Honnold scaled one of the tallest buildings in the world, Taipei 101, alone with no safety equipment. That’s the second-most impressive feat he’s accomplished. In 2017, Honnold free solo-ed the 3,000-feet high “El Cap” in Yosemite. Whilst everyone stared in horror, Honnold was grinning the whole way.
“So many people are held back by fear in different ways. Is that fear founded? Does that matter?” Honnold said in a High Performance podcast.
I’d confidently say yes. Scaling up a 3,000-foot rock is justifiably scary, but Honnold’s dedicated preparation and total understanding of his capabilities means he can rationally evaluate the danger and ease his fear.
Callum Miller, 30-year-old member of Austin Gamblers, an elite professional bull riding team, similarly finds focus in his sole accountability.
“It (is) all on yourself and your ability to be able to stay focused while so much is going on,” Miller said. Personally, I’m sticking to scaling Gregory’s indoor climbing wall and riding mechanical bulls; nevertheless, there’s something to learn from the composure of these daredevils about embracing our own fears.
For Honnold, “the more real experiences you have with real fear, real danger, … the less likely you are to make mountains out of molehills.”
Becoming an adult, I personally find myself losing patience with people who make mountains out of molehills, like being too nervous to talk to a waiter or freaking out over scoring a 90 rather than a 92. Yet, I was recently terrified to give a five-minute class presentation — something I shouldn’t be scared of as an adult.
“Overcoming (demanding) tasks is meaningful for the individual because you accomplish something that you think otherwise would be impossible, even if just the thought of ‘I’m going to try to accomplish this thing’ is very motivating,” psychology PhD student Lingwei Ouyang said. “In a time that’s very uncertain … it’s good to focus on the positive and think of what we could do instead of dwelling on the negative emotions.”
Indeed, not all fear is unfounded. I see a lot of fear online, especially from people my age. Aren’t we supposed to be less scared as we get older? From fears about the government to securing a job, fear infiltrates our psyche every day. A lot of this is not within our control — but leaning into what we can control is how we tackle unnecessary fears.
“You can apply it to everyday life,” Miller said. “While so much in the world’s going on, you stay focused on what’s right, what’s true and what you need to do.”
I recently overcame my own fear of heights and went skydiving! Somehow, I can bring myself to jump out of a plane, but when I have to present to my class, my hands are shaking. Fears aren’t always rational, but we can deal with them rationally.
“Being nervous is totally normal, and it’s a good thing,” said Michael Kanzler, an instructor from Texas Skydiving. “It heightens your awareness, so allow yourself to be nervous. Trust that you are capable of handling yourself and taking care of any situation that may come up.”
The idea these daredevils consistently encouraged was surprisingly reassuring and calm: trust yourself. Trust your capability; you’ll know it better than anyone. Take those fears and bolster your bravery. You rarely achieve something truly amazing without any fear.
Slimmon is a history junior from London, England.
