365 Days With Self-Discipline: 365 Life-Altering Thoughts on Self-Control, Mental Resilience, and Success

Day 46: On Looking Fear in the Face

You  gain  strength,  courage  and  confidence  by  every  experience  in

which  you  really  stop  to  look  fear  in  the  face.  You  are  able  to  say  to

yourself, “I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes

along.” (…) You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

—Eleanor Roosevelt

 

45

Self-discipline  is  a  lot  like  dealing  with  fear.  When  you  face

temptations, look them straight in the eye and send them packing, the next

time they appear in your life, you’ll be able to say to yourself, “I managed

to overcome them once. I can handle them this time as well.”

The more times you successfully overcome the temptations, the easier

it  will  be  to  handle  them  again.  Regular  practice  will  make  you  less

susceptible  to  temptations  and  even  more  likely  to  ignore  them,  just  like

looking fear in the face will make you more likely to act in spite of it.

Granted,  it’s  not  that  with  enough  experience,  you’ll  become

unconditionally  self-disciplined,  just  like  you  won’t  one  day  stop  being

afraid of anything. Just remember that each situation that tests your resolve

is  another  experience  from  which  you  can  draw  inspiration  to  overcome

future challenging circumstances when they occur.

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