Train courage with graded exposure and a simple disaster report so fear stops dictating your day
A team hit a slump. Their outreach slowed because rejection felt personal. Instead of pep talks, we ran a courage training cycle. First, we named the feared action—cold calls. We built a ladder from easiest to hardest and scheduled a sprint where the goal was ten polite rejections, not wins. The first thirty minutes sounded stiff. Someone joked their palms were sweating through the headset. Then a funny thing happened: when rejection became the target, the fear lost weight. Calls picked up. A few conversations turned into meetings.
We also wrote disaster reports. “What’s the worst realistic outcome?” we asked. “An annoyed prospect,” someone said. “Okay, accept that. What can you do immediately to improve it?” They drafted a brief apology script and a better opener. Knowing the edges of the risk calmed them. Before each sprint, we practiced ‘as if’ for two minutes—straight posture, steady voice, friendly tone. The behavior shaped the feeling more than the feeling shaped behavior.
A micro‑anecdote: a shy developer recorded a two‑minute daily video to explain one idea for his team. On day twelve, he volunteered to demo. He said, “I might be wrong, but it felt less scary because I’d already practiced feeling scared.”
This blends graded exposure (stepwise facing of a fear), cognitive reframing via disaster reports (accept, then improve), and the Law of Reversibility (act as if to shift state). Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s alignment of action with values despite fear. Reps make that alignment easier.
Pick the exact action you fear and build a small ladder of steps, then schedule a short sprint where reps, not wins, are the target. Write a disaster report to define and accept the worst realistic outcome and list moves to make it better, then practice the confident posture and voice for two minutes before your first rep. Keep the sprints short and frequent until fear becomes information, not a stop sign. Try a 30‑minute sprint tomorrow.
What You'll Achieve
Internally, reduce fear’s control and increase willingness to act while afraid. Externally, increase outreach, presentations, and feedback requests that move goals forward.
Design tiny reps against the fear
Name the feared action
Be precise: cold calls, public speaking, asking for feedback. Vague fear can’t be trained.
Create a graded ladder
List 5–7 steps from easiest to hardest. Example for speaking: read aloud alone, record a 2‑minute video, speak to 3 friends, present to your team.
Schedule a fear sprint
Do a focused block where the goal is reps, not results. For example, make 10 calls aiming for 10 polite rejections.
Write a disaster report
Define the worst realistic outcome, accept it, and list immediate actions to improve it. This shrinks catastrophic thinking.
Act ‘as if’ for two minutes
Adopt the posture and tone of the confident version of you before the rep. Behavior shifts feeling via the Law of Reversibility.
Reflection Questions
- What exactly am I avoiding, and why?
- How can I make the fear the target for a short sprint?
- What’s the worst realistic outcome, and what’s my plan if it happens?
- What two‑minute ‘as if’ routine helps me start?
Personalization Tips
- Sales: Run a 60‑minute sprint for 20 dials expecting rejections, not sales, to reduce sting.
- Speaking: Record a daily 3‑minute explainer video and send it to a friend for 10 days.
- Relationships: Ask for feedback on one habit from a partner and thank them without defense.
No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline
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