Fear is one of the most reliable constants in human experience. It shows up before every important conversation, every bold move, every attempt at something new. George Wright III, host of The Daily Mastermind, dedicates this episode to a concept from Brian Tracy's book *Be a Sales Superstar*: acting as if it were impossible to fail. The idea is simple but the implications run deep, and it applies well beyond sales to every area of your life.
Why Fear Is Not the Real Enemy
Most people assume the goal is to eliminate fear. George is direct: that is not the target. The obstacle is not fear itself but the anticipation of failure or rejection that keeps you frozen before you even start.
It's not the actual failure or rejection that hurts you or holds you back. It's the fear of the failure or rejection that stops you from acting, that stops you from doing what you need to do.
That distinction matters. The fear of what might happen is the thing that paralyzes you, not the outcome itself. Once you see that clearly, you have something concrete to work with.
The Two Major Fears That Block Success
Brian Tracy identifies two fears as the greatest obstacles on the road to success: the fear of failure or loss, and the fear of criticism or rejection. These are not rare or unusual. Every person you meet carries some version of both.
Even the most successful people George knows fear these things. The difference is not that high achievers are fearless. The difference is what they do with the fear.
The Difference Between a Hero and Everyone Else
George shares a principle drawn from the book: the hero is brave just a couple of minutes longer. The average person moves away from fear-causing situations. The brave person forces himself or herself to confront the fear and act anyway.
Glenn Ford captured it plainly:
If you do not do the things you fear, then the fear controls your life.
Ralph Waldo Emerson reached the same conclusion and said his entire life changed when he read: if you would be a great success, make a habit throughout your life of doing the things you fear. The pattern holds across centuries and across fields. Action under fear is the practice.
How to Rewire Your Response to Fear in Real Time
When fear hits, it often arrives as a felt sense in the body paired with the thought "I just can't." George recommends neutralizing that thought immediately by repeating the opposite. Say out loud, or to yourself: I can, I can, I will, I will, I must, I must. Repeat the phrase until your fear goes down and your confidence goes up.
Whenever you repeat those words your fear goes down and your confidence goes up. When you repeat to yourself the words, I like myself, I am the best, I can do it, I have greatness, then you're going to boost your self-esteem and self-image.
This is auto-suggestion at work. You are not tricking yourself. You are training your nervous system to respond differently. The repetition builds a mindset that becomes the default over time.
A second practical tool George mentions is the five-second rule: do not wait more than a couple of seconds before acting. The longer you wait, the stronger the fear becomes. Act first. Process afterward.
What Happens After You Push Through
Here is the irony George points out. Once you act through a fear, that experience builds genuine confidence, which reduces the fear the next time. Then you push further, and a new fear surfaces. Then you push through that one too.
Fear does not disappear. But your relationship to it changes. You learn from experience that you can handle it. The comfort zone expands, but it always has a new edge. That is not a problem. That is the process.
Action Steps
- Identify the specific fear of failure or rejection that is currently stopping you from taking a key action. Name it precisely.
- When you feel the "I can't" response in your body, immediately counter it with the phrase "I can, I will, I must" repeated several times.
- Use the five-second rule: once you recognize you need to act, count to five and move before the hesitation solidifies.
- Expect to fail along the way and reframe that expectation: failure is the path through, not a reason to stop.
- Reflect each week on one fear you pushed through, and notice how your confidence in that area has shifted.
Courage, as Mark Twain put it, is resistance to fear and mastery of fear, not the absence of it. You already have everything you need to start. It is never too late to start living the life you were meant to live. Act as if it were impossible to fail, and see what you build.
