In this highly compelling read, psychologist and author Dr Pippa Grange explores fear, how it can take over our lives and how we can turn it on its head into a tool of courage.
She kicks off by exploring language (and how changing it from battlefield terminology into something kinder will help), healthy competition and definitions of success – all in the first couple of chapters. She looks at the concept that fear isn’t just in our heads – it’s in our environment too.
One of the most interesting aspects Grange includes relatively early in the book, is the five fear limits which come from us ‘shrinking’ when we’re surrounded by fear and uncertainty.
This appears as:
Fear spoils your fun
Fear keeps you small
Fear betrays your trust
Fear restricts your mental freedom
Fear shackles your expectations
Much food for thought.
She gives us an insight into why we feel fear (it’s an evolutionary response) and with that in mind, she considers fear from two perspectives – from gut-wrenching ‘in the moment’ terror but also the everyday ‘not good enough’ fear. It’s the latter that creates so many problems for many of us ranging from feeling judgemental, unfulfilled, jealous, trying to be perfect and huge self-criticism. In the last part of the book, she explores each of these aspects in turn, offering ways to replace each of those fears with a different, more positive approach.
This is a brilliant book. It’s hugely helpful without being preachy and packed with great examples of people who have positively mastered their fear.
It’s packed with some fabulous quotes that stay with you long after you’ve put the book back on the shelf – here’s just one example:
“There is a chasm between wanting to be your best and wanting to be better than everyone else.”
With the recent Euro 2020 football and Wimbledon finals still fresh in many of our minds, the practical sporting examples peppered throughout show very clearly how achievable it is to switch fear into a positive of courage and help people achieve their dreams.