Dr. Aziz (speaker) shares a short personal anecdote from a confidence retreat at the Sandy River to teach a practical mind trick for taking action when scared. He describes coaching a terrified participant to jump from a roughly 20-foot ledge into the water by reframing the visceral feeling of dread—telling him that someone out there actually enjoys that sensation— which immediately changed the participant’s reaction and led him to jump. The clip models how reframing fear as a sign of excitement or opportunity can make risky-seeming actions feel safer and more doable.
Chapters
Here's a powerful mind trick to get yourself to do the things that you're scared to do. You know, a couple years back I was leading a confidence retreat and actually brought people here to this little amazing spot on the Sandy River. And right back behind me there is a ledge, probably about a 20 foot drop into the water. And for those who wanted to, I said, you can swim across and jump into the water. Now, that might not sound that scary to you, but looking down from 20ft up can be nerve wracking. And there's one gentleman who's absolutely terrified of jumping, of heights, of water. And so he was standing on the edge and I was coaching him to take the leap. And I said to him, you know, there's something, someone out there in the world who feels that same feeling inside their chest that you feel right now, that fear and anxiety and dread. And they actually get excited by that feeling because they know that something extraordinary is about to happen. And as soon as I said that, his grimace turned into like a broad smile and he jumped. So that dread that you feel, that fear that you feel, there's someone out there who loves that shit. Now, I know they're a freak, but guess what? You can tap into that. To know that this thing that might seem so terrible and awful isn't actually that dangerous, and maybe it's safe to take the leap.
