“Listen young lady; whoever says he is not afraid is either a liar or a madman.”
This was the phrase I heard from a military man, at the Tancos air base, when I was 12 years old.
I was getting ready to jump from the tower used for training paratroopers. My legs were shaking so much that I tripped several times going up the endless stairs of that skyscraper.
When I finally get to the top, I see this giant in steel armor in the shape of a human body. I look up, meet his eyes, and think: this Rambo is going to help me end the fear. With my voice also trembling and in that mixture of play and laughter that help to relieve tension, I ask: How do we not be afraid? And you already know the answer.
The other adults below, the non-military, were yelling: go on, it’s not a big deal! Do not be afraid!
This man, was to me the embodiment of strength, dexterity, bravery and everything and everything. He was part of those elite special troops prepared to deal with impossible situations. What I thought withmMy 12 years old after listening to this man of steel: If this Rambo says it’s normal to be afraid, then I’m normal. There’s nothing wrong with me. It’s OK to be afraid! I filled myself with courage and bravery and gave the long-awaited jump into the void!
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Without knowing it, it was this “armor man” who, at a decisive moment in my life, made me relearn the relationship with fear. Above all, it helped me to normalize. To accept that it is part. Since then, the choices I make and the way I work have allowed me to break new ground and help thousands of people get out of their comfort zones, into that space where we discover that the best things in life are on the other side of fear.
I realize now that my entire life has been driven by fear. It won’t be a surprise to know that not only my life, but that of all of us. And it is this discovery that has allowed me to explore the admirable world of fear and realize that, after all, everything we have learned about fear is profoundly wrong.
I write the book I wish I had read. The book that would have made a difference, accelerated the transformation and been the catalyst for the change I needed so much, in one of the most difficult phases of my life. From the anatomy of fear, to its antidotes, to tools and endless stories, this is the book about fear that we all need and that no one has yet had the courage to write.
Coming soon to a newsstand near you 😉