It’s true. The idea that elite performers - pro athletes, Navy SEALs, firefighters - are fearless is false.
They feel fear just like everyone else.
The difference?
The difference is that high performers don’t allow fear to negatively impact their performance.
How?
Well, that’s a HUGE part of the awesome conversation I had on Episode #111 of the Better Human Project podcast with my friend and legendary personal safety/fear management expert, Tony Blauer.
Tony knows a few things about martial arts, personal safety, fear management, and he is particularly well-versed in the the science of it all.
So whenever we get together, we geek out on the psychology and physiology of fear, movement, behaviors (habits), et al.
The takeaways from this episode (podcast version of TLDR) are below.
If you enjoy the neuroscience of high performance, or have any desire to understand why we do what we do (and how to change unwanted habits), this is a must listen episode.
LISTEN to the full episode:
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Be Careful What You Practice.
You Might Get Good At The Wrong Thing.
This one has layers.
There is A LOT going on here.
That’s why I love it.
First, and foremost, Tony is alluding to the process of neurological wiring.
Our brains always default to the patterns they most trust.
Read that line a few times and really digest it.
That is the Layman’s terms of the science behind one of the Navy SEALs favorite sayings: ”We don’t rise to our level of expectation. We fall to our level of training.”
You may have heard me say this before: muscles do not have the capacity for memory.
So the term “muscle memory” is like nails on a chalkboard to me.
But that’s the phenomenon we’re discussing here.
Neurons the fire together, wire together.
And the more we wire that pattern, the more ingrained it becomes.
Sort of like walking through grass until we create visible trail.
And then continuing to use that path, until the trail becomes a walkway, then a full blown highway.
This is how neurological wiring works.
And anything that might be categorized as “muscle memory” is really neurological wiring - that goes for physical movements like punches, golf swings, or tennis serves; but it also goes for behavior patterns like binge eating, alcohol as a coping mechanism, and everything else.
—> Hence Tony’s warning: be careful what you wire into your default settings.
The second aspect of this takeaway is the unconscious bias that it reveals.
In Tony’s example, his technique of choice (at that particular time) was an arm-bar. He used it well, achieved short-term success, but it set him up for ultimate failure in that particular scenario.
You’ll have to listen to full episode for the explanation of the setting - but the lesson is still attainable without those details.
Our short-term actions need to deliver results, but a short-term win is useless if it sacrifices the ability to win long-term.
Don’t lose sight of the big picture.
Speaking of not losing sight of the big picture…
The final aspect of this conversation is the Focus/Fixation Paradox.
By definition, anytime we focus on one thing, we narrow our field of vision.
This increases the amount of area that is OUTSIDE of our view - the blind spots.
As I always say, things exist on a spectrum, and we should work to be less binary in our thought.
So, let’s put generalist and specialist on opposite ends of a spectrum.
The more specialized we get, the narrower our scope.
The more generalized we stay, the wider (yet shallower) our scope.
What is right for you?
What is best for the application in front of you?
Nuance, goal & context, be less binary…
Dispel the concept of “No Fear”
One of Tony’s rules with the fighters he trains is that they are required to openly share their feelings - especially their fears, nervousness, and concerns.
It’s about KNOWING fear, yet choosing courage.
Much on Tony’s work is around dispelling the myth that successful people are fearless. (This includes military, law enforcement, fighters, and athletes.)
These folks, just like everyone else, experience nervousness and fear - everyday.
The difference is, they don’t let fear drive their choices.
Successful people choose courage, not fear.
Both are contagious.
Choose wisely.
Self-Awareness Is Our Superpower
Self-awareness was also a BIG part of the conversation with Hassan Kamel in our recent Emotional Intelligence episode (108).
It may seem striking - even odd - that the same topic is so heavily favored by an EQ instructor AND a personal safety expert.
But it’s no coincidence.
Awareness is the key to making better choices - choices that better serve us, our goals/values, and the people around us (family, team, organization)
Whether we’re trying to lead ourselves, others, or simply survive acute adversity or violence, awareness is our super power.
Cultivate it and watch yourself grow & thrive.
Tune In for the full episode:
Pursue Progress,
Munsey