A short Heroic+1 podcast by Brian Johnson reflecting on courage and fear. Using Muhammad Ali’s near-decision not to board a plane to the 1960 Olympics (he was afraid to fly) as the central anecdote, Johnson argues that bravery requires fear and that acting despite fear enables achievement. He also references Bill Russell, Georges St. Pierre, and Ronda Rousey as further examples and directs listeners to related ‘fear doors’ episodes and Heroic.us resources.
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Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another heroic plus one. Did you know that the great Muhammad Ali almost didn't make it to the 1960 Olympics? Yep, and it had nothing to do with his skills in the boxing ring. He had qualified, but still almost didn't make it out. Get this, the greatest was afraid to fly. He tells us, and I quote, for a while, I was serious about not going to Italy for the Olympics. And then I thought about what my father said. Always confront the things you fear. I realized that we are only brave when we have something to lose and we still try. We can't be brave without fear. And he continues by saying, I realize that this was one of those important moments when I would have to make a choice. There are little choices we make every day that set the standard for the rest of our lives. But this didn't seem like a little choice to me. And I knew it would have a great impact on my life. If I didn't get on that plane, I couldn't win the gold medal. If I had not faced that fear and gone on to win the gold medal at the Olympics, I might not have become the heavyweight champion of the world. If I let fear stand in my way, I would never have accomplished anything important in my life. End quote. I repeat, the great Muhammad Ali almost didn't make it to the 1960 Olympics because he was afraid to fly. Yet he mustered the courage to board the plane and fulfill his destiny. And of course, he chose to act in the presence of fear over and over and over again in his life. How about you? Have you ever almost let fear stop you from doing something that became one of the most defining moments of your life? I, of course, certainly have. In fact, we have a series of plus ones and what I call fear doors. Check out fear doors, part one, two and three linked in this plus one. Now, even more importantly, are you currently letting fear stop you from doing what you need to do? Know that your infinite potential exists on the other side of your comfort zone. As you say, bring it on and give us all you've got. L P s. I recently watched a great documentary on another great black man who was a contemporary of Ali called Bill Russell, Legend. I highly recommend it for both the heroic inspiration and the cultural education. As we discussed in overachievement, Russell was so nervous before every basketball game he played in that he threw up, then he went out and dominated. Remember, courage isn't the absence of fear, it's the willingness to act in the presence of fear and pps. Check out our notes on a memoir by another all time great fighter, Georges St. Pierre's the Way of the Fight. It's basically a treatise on his relationship to fear. And while you're at it, check out our notes on Ronda Rousey's My Fight, your Fight for her perspective on the subject as well.
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