Your Thursday Three Things for February 27th, 2025

Fear Isn’t the Enemy... It’s the Fuel!

Fear gets a bad rap.

We’re told to "conquer it," "overcome it," or "crush it." But here’s the truth: fear isn’t something to get rid of… it’s something to use.

Some of the biggest failures in my life have come from waiting for the perfect moment instead of just stepping into discomfort and figuring it out as I go. Case in point:

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The Rock Portage Lesson: Fear + Hesitation = Failure (and Pain)

Picture this: a bunch of crazy Navy SEAL candidates trying to land a rubber boat on jagged rocks while getting hammered by Pacific Ocean waves.

Welcome to rock portage… one of the many brutal tests during Navy SEAL training, where we launched these boats into chaos right in front of the famous Hotel del Coronado. By day, it was nerve-wracking but we kind of felt like super heroes as there were a bunch of tourists watching. But at night? It was straight-up terrifying (and there were no tourists watching!).

I was leading a boat crew and, as a perfectionist, I wanted the perfect wave to take us in. So we waited. And waited.

Meanwhile, other boat crews launched on less-than-perfect waves. Some made it. Some failed. But they all moved forward.

Finally, we got our perfect wave - I yelled, “Ok boys, here we go!” We landed flawlessly. I felt great. Until…

I heard from behind the rocks, "MR. MACASKILL… WHAT IN THE HELL TOOK YOUR BOATCREW SO LONG TO GET HERE?"

My answer? "I was waiting for the perfect wave!"

Wrong answer.

They fired back: "OH, YOU THINK EVERYTHING ON THE BATTLEFIELD IS GOING TO BE PERFECT?"

Then came the punishment…