Mastering Fear: A Navy SEAL's Guide

by Brandon Webb, John David Mann

From New York Times bestselling author and former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb comes a simple yet powerful five-step guide to transforming your life by making your fears work for you instead of against you.Brandon Webb has run life-threatening missions in the world's worst trouble spots, whether that meant jumping out of airplanes, taking down hostile ships on the open sea, or rolling prisoners in the dead of night in the mountains of Afghanistan. As a Navy SEAL, he learned how to manage the natural impulse to panic in the face of terrifying situations. As media CEO and national television commentator, he has learned how to apply those same skills in civilian life. Drawing on his experiences in combat and business, along with colorful anecdotes from his vast network of super-achiever friends from astronauts to billionaires, Webb shows how people from all walks of life can stretch and transcend their boundaries and learn to use their fears as fuel to achieve more than they ever thought possible. "Fear can be a set of manacles, holding you prisoner," writes Webb. "Or it can be a slingshot, catapulting you on to greatness."The key, says Webb, is not to fight fear or try to beat it back, but to embrace and harness it. In the process, rather than being your adversary, your fear becomes a secret weapon that allows you to triumph in even the most adverse situations. In Mastering Fear, Webb and his bestselling coauthor John David Mann break this transformation down into five practical steps, creating a must-read manual for anyone looking for greater courage and mastery in their lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Business, Philosophy, Personal Development, Audiobook

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 7, 2018

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do the decisions.
There's always something that could go wrong, so: 1. Get prepared. 2. Stay prepared. 3. Don't worry since it won't change much, whether you are worried or not.
If still worried, then thrive on the adrenaline-fuelled energy.
Stay away from being nervous about things.

The reader also gets to read about that guy's swimming lessons (Camal, Damal, Kumal, Khemak? What's his name?). Some lessons, those must have been. Seriously, dude, chill, we got it: he didn't know how to swim, couldn't swim and you got him to swim. No need to go back to that every other page. Frankly, the book would've benefited from taking all refs to that story and grouping them in 1 part and not going through the book blabbering about it. I get it, he was the point of reference along with the action plan draft. Still, he could've been used as a headliner and not sprinkled throughout the text all around.

Yeah, and that prepared super-physique guy failed at some super-duper-commando course, ha-ha.

[Cav · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The brave man is not the one who has no fear, he is the one who triumphs over his fear..."
—NELSON MANDELA

Mastering Fear was an epic book. I am generally a fan of books on the quest for mastery. Psychology (in general), and the Navy SEALs (specifically) are all of interest to me as well. This one ticked all those boxes, so I put it on my list.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, and I had not heard of the author prior to this. I am happy to report that the book was far better than I expected it to be. The author did a fantastic job with this book!

Author Brandon Tyler Webb is a former United States Navy SEAL and SEAL Sniper course Head Instructor, with one combat deployment to Afghanistan and one to the Persian Gulf. He is also the founder and CEO of Hurricane Media Inc.

Brandon Webb:


Webb gets the book off to a great start, with a high-energy intro. He talks about a friend of his, Kamal, who couldn't swim for fear of water. Kamal is a central figure to the book, and Webb revisits his story in later chapters.
Webb has a fantastic writing style that's straightforward and engaging. He writes in a down-to-earth, no BS manner that makes the book very readable. Webb writes in a manner similar to an everyday conversation; a style that really worked in this presentation.

Fear is a real mind-fuck. Fear is the mind-killer. No matter how tough you are (or think you are), I'm willing to bet that you have struggled with fear at some point in your life. Whether it's an irrational fear; like riding in an elevator or driving on the highway, or a rational fear; like starting a new business or making a life-changing decision - fear has likely impacted your life in a personal way.

How you deal with fear and the voice in your head is often what separates ordinary men from great men, writes Webb. Getting a handle on that voice is often the hardest thing an individual has to do to overcome fear. Webb talks about self-talk here often, analogizing negative thoughts to sharks in your head. "Don't let the sharks in," he says.

The book contains many excellent quotes, so I think I'll drop a few of the ones that resonated with me in this review. Webb talks about the book's cover in this quote:

"I’ll tell you a secret about the image on the cover of this book. You know, the warrior fighting the wild lion. Chances are good you saw that lion and figured it represents fear. It doesn’t. The warrior on the horse—that’s you. And that wild beast? That’s your own negativity. Your sense of defeat.
The sharks you let in your head..."

Webb drops this excellent quote early on, about the nature of fear:

"Fear is a lot like fire. When it’s out of control, fire is destructive. Learn how to use it, and you can do practically anything. Harnessing fire is what made human civilization.
Harnessing fear can change the course of your destiny..."

Greatness lies just on the other side of fear. However, it is often a formidable mountain, that many don't even attempt to summit:

"But I do know this: everything you really want is on the other side of fear.
I can’t tell you what it is, or what it looks like, or where to find it. But I can offer this clue: start with what you fear.
And don’t suppress it, or fight it, or try to put it behind you —embrace it. Make it your ally. Trust it. Master it.
It will point you in the direction of what matters most..."

Although the book takes a deep dive into fear, Webb also gets quite personal, and reveals many details of his life to the reader here. He talks about his previous business failures, as well as personal failures. He details a few brushes with death. The BUDS training he went through to become a SEAL is covered as well.

To help drive home his writing in the book, Webb cites many people here; some famous, and others not. Among them are:
• Kamal Ravikant,
• James Altucher,
• Neil Amonson,
• Lanny Bassham,
• Mike Bearden Jr. (aka the Bear),
• Douglas Corrigan,
• Maria Emma,
• Viktor Frankl,
• Chief Dan Goulart,
• William H. Murray,
• Alexis Ohanian,
• Nando Parrado,
• James Powell,
• C. J. Ramone,
• Leo Russell,
• Ernest Shackleton,
• Curtis Thornhill,
• José Torres,
• Captain Jerry Yellin.

Many people never take a bold leap into the uncertain, or "the abyss" as Webb calls it here. They prefer their comfort and security over taking risks with high upside potential. Basically, choosing safety over greatness.
There is no such thing as "safety," Webb says:

"To master fear, you have to let go of the illusion of safety, which really means letting go of the illusion of immortality. The truth is, at some point you will die, and you don’t know when, so you have to be ready right now— so you can take a breath, and live."

The final step in overcoming fear, according to Webb, is to figure out what really matters to you, and keeping your eye on that prize. Make the fear work for you, he says:

"Because here is the bottom line on fear: If you don’t know what matters, fear will take over, pin you, and hold you down. If you’re crystal clear on what matters, fear will propel you forward. It’s really that simple.
The rest of it all helps: the decision, the rehearsal, the letting go. Learning to trust your gut. Listening to the voice of experience. Keeping the sharks out of your head. All of that is important. But this takes precedence. If you had to put your finger on a single focal point, a single strategy, a single action you could take to master your fear, it would be this: Get clear on what matters."

He also includes this famous quote from Theodore Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat..."

Webb closes the book with this excellent quote, referencing the first solo flight he made:

"Life is a solo flight. You are the captain. And it’s not a 747, with all the hydraulics and fancy equipment and massive automation. It may seem like it sometimes, like you can switch things onto automatic pilot and sit back and relax, maybe even catch a few minutes of the in-flight movie. But trust me, it’s a tiny, single-engine craft, no hydraulics, all mechanicals, where you feel the resistance of air pressure pulling against the strength of your arms and shoulders.
It’s all stick and rudder.
And while love and friendship may be the fuel, fear is your navigator. Not your adversary, but your copilot, its cracked, weathered voice in your ear, saying, Please trim the plane before you kill us. Trim the damn plane! Thank you.
This is where I hop out.
You’re soloing this thing..."

*************************

As touched on briefly at the start of this review, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. It ended up being far better than I hoped, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
If you are interested in mastery like I am, this one needs to be on your list.
I liked it so much, that I may reread it again soon.
An easy 5-star rating, and a spot on my "favorites" shelf.

[Trenton Judson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story behind why Mr. Webb decided to write this book may be the most compelling part of it. Some other highlights are his personal account of failure and how he overcame it in the business world, along with some stories from other friends, and his stories from Navy SEAL training.
I wasn't blown away by this book. The epigram that I got from it was: use the energy of your fear to help you accomplish what you want to. Yes, there's some more to it, but that's the general gist. It's actually a pretty great idea, but nothing that was transformational or couldn't have been put into a pithy essay in a magazine or journal. I'm not sure a book was the best format for this idea.
I also found that it was primarily geared toward those that wanted to start businesses or that had started businesses and the author struts his success around while making his desire to become a billionaire known on several occasions. I was much more taken with the few times he talks about his family and would have liked to see more on the development of himself as a person instead of business mogul.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Omg what utter bullshit. A book for macho guys who get scared, don't want to admit it, and want help without losing any manly creds. Leaves no room for common sense or if you're afraid for any reason other than an irrational phobia. The author details one anecdote about how he was working on a passenger boat, in poor conditions, in shark filled waters. The captain orders him to jump into the water because it will save time raising the anchor, and therefore the passengers won't be inconvenienced by a minor delay. Rather than be afraid of jumping into a situation where there is a realistic chance of getting attacked by a wild animal, the author jumps in because he wants to look tough in front of the other guys and not make the passengers wait a little while to do it the safe way. He doesn't deny this; he's proud of it! At a certain point, there's bravery, and then there's stupidity.

[Ryan Steck · Rating 5 out of 5]

See this review and more at www.TheRealBookSpy.com

As a critic, my area of expertise is fiction — more specifically, the thriller genre, especially political, spy, and military thrillers. . . anything with action. I read books about people who do extraordinary things, but they all have one thing in common (well, two if you count stopping nuclear attacks, because they all stop nuclear attacks at some point): they’re all fictional.

When I’m not reading books for reviews or blurbs, I like to get outside the genre I cover and try something else. I personally enjoy autobiographies, but it’s pretty rare I actually review a nonfiction book. I’ve done it, sure, but the book has to really knock my socks off for me to step aside from the thriller genre and take the time to review it.

That’s exactly what happened when I read Mastering Fear. . .

(continue below)

Continue reading this spoiler-free review here: https://therealbookspy.com/2018/05/13...

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I've listened to the audiobook and it was the first time I was listening to something like that. I really enjoyed it actually.

I don't thing that anything new was said in the book but it's all about finding what you need to hear/write. I wouldn't say that this book is useful but it gives you some understanding of your fear and how to live with them... Because yes, fear is natural.

[Nassimoka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is the best among all these motivational books I've ever read. It explains and shows you so many aspects, that was never noticed before. Absolutely recommend.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you handle fear? If you want to learn about handling fear from someone who has had a career of dealing with risky situations and fear then this book would be for you. The author of this book is Brandon Webb. Webb is a former Navy SEAL. He’s not only a Navy SEAL, a combat veteran (one tour in Iraq, one tour in Afghanistan) but also a sniper instructor for the SEALs who have trained famous SEAL warriors such as Chris Kyle (the top American sniper in history) and Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor of Operation Redwing in 2005. From his experience and also his reflection he’s written this book about handling fear.
The opening of this book had me hooked; he began by telling the story of trying to help his friend learn how to swim. This particular individual was a decorated Army soldier who have also accomplished many other things in his life but one thing he’s never done was learn how to swim. The guy also tried to fix this by having classes on swimming and have other guys try to teach him. But the author Brandon Webb realized what he needs to deal with first is not learning how to swim but to deal with his friend’s fear of the water. Since Webb was conscious of this, this shapes the way he taught his friend and therefore was successful in getting him to swim whereas others weren’t able to teach him. Afterwards the friend told Webb he should write a book on mastering fear. I like this story because I can relate as someone who struggled to learn how to swim even though I’ve been in the military. But it’s also compelling because it was very ordinary and so you see this book is practical and for dealing with real life problem and not just extraordinary experience such as combat, life threatening situation, etc.
There are helpful contents in this book. I appreciate the author’s candor and honesty. It isn’t a false bravo book here. Webb teaches us to use fear and not deny fear and he’s pointed out how some methods of denying fear can be counter-productive. I’ve always felt that was quite true and it’s nice to see him flesh that out in details. But he’s also pointed out that fear can be a good thing in that it keeps us alive and concentrate, so long as that fear isn’t absorbing us into inaction. Also his discussion about safety as an illusion was important to point out since people often think they are safer than they really are. I don’t want to give the whole book away but it was worth reading this title. His final discussion of dealing with fear is one that I have personally used to keep me going in difficult situations in my life from the Marines and situations involving physical force when I was younger as a security guard in Hollywood.
I recommend this book.

[Phil Cebuhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting perspective on Fear, and how we manage decisions with this emotion. The emotion of Fear is often paralyzing and limits our ability to function/prosper. Brandon Webb uses many stories, some which can strike close to you in order to understand how to overcome fear. Lastly, his passages of what truly matters resonated well with me. Constant assessment of what matters aligns for more fulfillment, happiness, and mindfulness of our present moment.

[Denis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite nice book with several interesting and motivational stories and ideas. Happy that I have bought it and read it. Short and to the point. Nicely written. Thanks, Brandon.

[Ihor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Коли нема що сказати, але дуже хочеться. Добре, що придбав електронну версію цієї книжки, бо інааше би довелось шукати, де здати на макулатуру.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every once in a while, I'll delve into the self-help shelves. Just for funsies.

This slight volume was a blindingly easy read. I mean, waaaay straightforward. The idea behind it was perhaps best summarized by the Sphinx in Mystery Men: "If you do not learn to master your fear, then fear will become your master." It's not exactly rocket science.

The advice in the book is entirely anecdotal. "I did this thing, therefore it is the way things are." There's an appeal to that approach, one that works for most humans in a way that pitching out The Science of human neurobiology and fear response would not.

Webb's understanding of the reconceptualizing of fear is dead on. To overcome fear, you need to change how you perceive it. Fear is an energy. That energy is telling you you need to do something. Nothing more. Frankly, it's how I overcame my fear of public speaking, so...yeah. He's right there, and it's a thing worth learning. Throughout the book, there's some good, straightforward advice about managing crisis, the importance of mindset, and the process of preparing yourself for times of trial.

But as the book went on, he got harder to be around. Dear Sweet Baby Jesus, dude, you need to get the hell over yourself. He talks far too much about how highly paid he is, and how rich and special all of his carefully curated friends are, and how sometimes he deigns to help lesser mortals but prefers not to, because, well, we're just so disappointing. Sure, he risks and sometimes fails, but only to RISE TO HIGHER HEIGHTS! Also, did you know he was worth millions? Millions!

Sigh. Some nuggets of real wisdom. I can see it being useful to some folks. But Lord Have Mercy.

A two point six.

[Okswd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Класна книга, про те як побороти страх будь чого. Описано багато порад, прикладів та історій з життя автора, але безумовно без роботи над собою нічого не вийде.

[Tom Leveen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have for writers and other creative who ever wrestle with self-doubt. (Oh, I'm sure I'm the ONLY ONE that happens to...) Fear is real, and not something to be dismissed with "positive thinking." Retired SEAL Webb take the tone of a no-BS best friend who can motivate you to make the changes you need and want in your life.

[Alexander Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

As odd as this sounds, I'd call this book "fun and short." Which is odd when the subject is mastering fear.

The author does a good job of drawing upon his experiences as a Navy SEAL and businessman to discuss what place fear has in our lives and how to use it.

The book wasn't as comprehensive as I was hoping for, but there were enough useful vignettes to make it a worthwhile read. I didn't feel like I wasted my time or money. I just wish there was more here.

[Jerianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally made it less than two minutes into this book before the sexism showed up. Googled some reviews and discovered the author has a habit of lying about his accomplishments, pretending to be friends with dead SEALs who didn't even like him, and talking shit about the military widows whose husband's deaths he exploits for his own profit. What kind of coward insults grieving women and then writes a book about mastering fear?

[Bernardo Borges · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and I'll definitely buy the physical book.

[Bill Zappone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well done book by Mr. Webb. I choose the audio version. Well read and great examples that matter. All should read/listen to the as we each have fears to overcome or make the fear help you. Thanks!

[Marusja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Лёгкая и по-пацански суровая книга о том, как перестать избегать страхов и пользоваться ими для роста. Ничего особо нового, не панацея от всех бед, но довольно полезное чтиво и очень хорошо что короткое.

[Jovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mastering Fear was one of those books that as soon as I finished it I wanted to read it over again right away. Brandon and John do a fantastic job in uncovering how the power fear can be used as a tool rather than a crutch. The way the book is written, it has something to be obtained by every individual. Very grateful to have picked this one up and read it.

[José · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading David Goggins book "Can't hurt me", I was a little skeptical about this one.

Would it be another testosterone book, about how brave military people are?

Even the title "A Navy SEAL's Guide", made me think that it would be all around suffering and struggling military experiences to illustrate how to conquer fear. But the subject interested me. It is something that any entrepreneur is familiar with, and everyone for that matter. We all postpone decisions, have problems letting go and move forward, mostly because we have fear. So I decided to give it a shot (if you pardon me the pun :)). And I was surprised to discover that it has nothing to do about Military but about Life and Business. It is in fact one of the best books for any entrepreneur and businessman to read.

The principle to conquer fear is simple, and the book guides you through the 5 stages using personal stories from the author (business situations, personal situations and military situations) as well as stories from other people. I used the audio book version, and it's amazing. It's well written, and the speaker is very good. It motivated me, put a lot of things in perspective and it has a lot of tips.

I recommend this book to everyone, especially if you are thinking on starting a business, stuck in a job you don't like or even if you have a dream that you want to follow but you are afraid to let go what you have. As I said, it gives you guidelines to follow the process of letting go, and stories to motivate you to engage. As we all know, between knowing how to and actually doing it, goes a world in distance.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could barely intake the relevant information because the author was such an insufferable douche and kept inserting himself and his accomplishments and his billion dollar businesses into the story. At very opening he talked about how he was in Moscow for the World Cup. Had nothing to do with what he was talking about. He just needed people to know. Anecdotes got so weirdly specific that I began to think he was lying. (Ex. “My local bookstore knows what books I like and always has a stack waiting for me.” Ok….)

Some quotes were so schmaltzy I rolled my eyes.

“Every great gain has come about only through risk. … Asking that girl to dance. Opening your own business. Hell, just coming down the birth canal and out into this bright and noisy world was a terrifying risk. It was safe and quiet in there. But the risk is worth it. Because there’s that ring. That treasure. Those keys to the kingdom.” 🙄

It’s giving a “men will do anything before going to therapy” including writing a book. David Goggins vibe at some points, who I also think portrays himself in a very braggadocious way and being over the top when speaking about his own importance. Very early 2000s “just keep talking highly about yourself and know one will know how deeply insecure you are” type of self help. In essence, not helpful.

Better book options: The Confident Mind by Nate Zinsser

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great mix of blunt challenge and encouragement. I don't agree with him about the inevitability of fear at times like the end of life (I don't fear death at all, thanks to how God has entered my life), but I appreciated his clarity and motivation around the process of facing our fears and deciding to move forward.

[Aoi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art of making decisions and mastering your life.

Obviously, there is nothing 'new' here per se, just the tone and encouragement contained that sets this apart from other self help books

1.Make a decision
2. Curating your environment
3. The power of rehersal
4.Stretching your circle of competence
5. You are never really really safe!

[David James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for those looking understanding Fear

Really good book on understanding the basics of overcoming fear and why some people are naturally able to and others need to break down their fears in overcoming them into achievable sections.

Author is at times a little self indulgent, but not egocentric.

[Reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book repeats itself endlessly while providing nothing new through its repetition.

The author posits that anybody can achieve success, while reiterating that he is just naturally gifted at being fearless.

Reads as an ego inflation for the author rather than a vehicle for success for the reader.

[Alceste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I have read in 2018!

When I saw the cover of the book I knew I had to get my hands on it. The cover is unique and simple. A yellow background with a man representing a warrior type of a person on a horse killing a lion with a spear. Might sound mythological to some or hypothetical to others. It has a significance to the context of the book. I urge you whatever thought comes into your mind after grasping the cover image from both of your eyes, either try to remember it or write it down somewhere. You will be astonished by its significance.

Mastering Fear is a great title to start the book. It is not your typical self-help book if you read it carefully. The author of this book had experience in war zones of Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL where he learned a lot of things and developed a conscience for trusting himself in the situations where panic easily takes over a human mind. Brandon Webb, he is an accomplished author and has written many books before this one. Apart from being a Navy SEAL, he now runs a media business that is worth millions. Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to understand the motive behind this book. To master the fear, the first step is to take a decision and I want you to take decide for yourself whether this book is for you or not.

Mastering Fear is not about facing a hostile gang of men or being in a war zone. It's about the battlefield in your mind.

Think about it. Who is that person that you most spend time with? Talk to, care about or listen to? Yes, yourself! This book talks about you. It is based on you. There are stories of people who are have mastered their own fear of drowning in the water, heights or build their own life after getting bankrupt 2 or 3 times. But all are these realities of others who have faced panic in its face when the time came for them. Brandon Webb, the co-author of this book starts it in a storytelling way about his friend who is suffering from the fear of drowning for the last 35 years of his life. The only reason he is still suffering because he wants to learn to swim and has tried everything. Contacted every medal winner or coach but always failed. This how Brandon concludes this situation:

Mastering Fear is not about becoming physically stronger, or tougher, or more macho r more aggressive, or more stoic. It is about how to identify and change the conversation in your mind.

I consider this a universal truth after hours of dwelling in works of ancient and modern day writers. The book focus on the self's thought process and how to change it when the situation of an excruciating adrenaline rush comes where we often fail because we forget to give it a second thought right there, in that circumstance. This is the core of the book. Switching your thought process and understanding that fear is not something you should despise and can have your own way in life. Brandon points out that fear is a signpost, a gateway to the prize or the achievement or your success. It can be that secret weapon or the missing piece of puzzle right under your nose. To do so, Brandon divides the whole process into five interesting steps that are demonstrated with real-life anecdotes.

The writing style of the book is simple and easy to grasp. The book even though only 250 pages long is time-consuming. The chapters are short and consistent. Each follows the previous one, so I would not recommend skipping one for another. Its narrative style is catchy. Once you sit down and start reading it, it is hard to move away from it.

I would also like to say here that the context of the book is solely a pragmatic POV. Some readers might do not want to read it since it is written by a Navy SEAL or some only want to read it because it is written by a Navy SEAL and will have content on war zones, et cetera. You both are going to be disappointed. This book is about overcoming your fear even if you sit in a cubicle all day. It is about how to grow as a person and achieve what you always wanted to.

A must-read book for everyone.

5 out of 5!

[Aman Mittal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I have read in 2018!

When I saw the cover of the book I knew I had to get my hands on it. The cover is unique and simple. A yellow background with a man representing a warrior type of a person on a horse killing a lion with a spear. Might sound mythological to some or hypothetical to others. It has a significance to the context of the book. I urge you whatever thought comes into your mind after grasping the cover image from both of your eyes, either try to remember it or write it down somewhere. You will be astonished by its significance.

Mastering Fear is a great title to start the book. It is not your typical self-help book if you read it carefully. The author of this book had experience in war zones of Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL where he learned a lot of things and developed a conscience for trusting himself in the situations where panic easily takes over a human mind. Brandon Webb, he is an accomplished author and has written many books before this one. Apart from being a Navy SEAL, he now runs a media business that is worth millions. Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to understand the motive behind this book. To master the fear, the first step is to take a decision and I want you to take decide for yourself whether this book is for you or not.

Mastering Fear is not about facing a hostile gang of men or being in a war zone. It's about the battlefield in your mind.

Think about it. Who is that person that you most spend time with? Talk to, care about or listen to? Yes, yourself! This book talks about you. It is based on you. There are stories of people who are have mastered their own fear of drowning in the water, heights or build their own life after getting bankrupt 2 or 3 times. But all are these realities of others who have faced panic in its face when the time came for them. Brandon Webb, the co-author of this book starts it in a storytelling way about his friend who is suffering from the fear of drowning for the last 35 years of his life. The only reason he is still suffering because he wants to learn to swim and has tried everything. Contacted every medal winner or coach but always failed. This how Brandon concludes this situation:

Mastering Fear is not about becoming physically stronger, or tougher, or more macho r more aggressive, or more stoic. It is about how to identify and change the conversation in your mind.

I consider this a universal truth after hours of dwelling in works of ancient and modern day writers. The book focus on the self's thought process and how to change it when the situation of an excruciating adrenaline rush comes where we often fail because we forget to give it a second thought right there, in that circumstance. This is the core of the book. Switching your thought process and understanding that fear is not something you should despise and can have your own way in life. Brandon points out that fear is a signpost, a gateway to the prize or the achievement or your success. It can be that secret weapon or the missing piece of puzzle right under your nose. To do so, Brandon divides the whole process into five interesting steps that are demonstrated with real-life anecdotes.

The writing style of the book is simple and easy to grasp. The book even though only 250 pages long is time-consuming. The chapters are short and consistent. Each follows the previous one, so I would not recommend skipping one for another. Its narrative style is catchy. Once you sit down and start reading it, it is hard to move away from it.

I would also like to say here that the context of the book is solely a pragmatic POV. Some readers might do not want to read it since it is written by a Navy SEAL or some only want to read it because it is written by a Navy SEAL and will have content on war zones, et cetera. You both are going to be disappointed. This book is about overcoming your fear even if you sit in a cubicle all day. It is about how to grow as a person and achieve what you always wanted to.

A must-read book for everyone.

5 out of 5!

[Grace Appler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fear is a signpost, pointing the way to the prize. It tells you which area is most challenging for you and you’ll get the most out of it if you conquer it.

Face the danger, know that the situation is often nowhere as bad as you imagined. Then flip the switch in your head, focus on the positive action steps you can take, not on threats or risk involved. Focus on what you aim to do, not on what you hope to avoid.

Five steps to overcome fear:

1. Decision. You make your decision, and the courage to see it through then arises out of that decision. The capacity to be firmly resolute. You have to decide to decide. For good decision-making, curate your environment. If you want to feed your ego, surround yourself with people who look up to you; if you want to feed your growth, surround yourself with people whom you look up to.
2. Rehearse. Master it first in your mind, focus on what you want to do, not what you want to avoid. Start in your comfort zone, then stretch, 5% a time. Constantly raise the bar, over prepare, rehearse for what you think you need to do, times 10.
3. Do it. Let go of the illusion of safety. Sometimes what we are holding onto for safety is not safer than the other side, it’s just more familiar. Peter Thiel: the cost of preventing errors is often FAR greater than the cost of fixing them.
4. Jump off. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. The moment one definitely commits oneself, the Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would have otherwise have occurred. Have faith in the abyss, have faith in the preparation and your judgement. Figure out who can give you what you need and go ask for it - it’s a practice of jumping off and you need to practice often.
5. Knowing what matters. There has to be something important that makes the risk worth it. If you don’t know what matters, fear will hold you back. If you are crystal clear on what matters, fear with propel you forward.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Mastering Fear: A Navy SEAL'S Guide' by Brandon Webb

While some of this has been rehashed in other forms recently - Brene Brown's 'Daring Greatly' comes to mind - I like that Brandon Webb brings us into his world, where we are learning about Snipers, the challenging BUDS - Basic Underwater Demolition Seal training, and other extreme missions he was part of. During these, he demonstrates how he knows that there's always that element of fear in what we do. We master it by "not allowing the sharks to roam rent free until they arrive" while also being aware that it is coming and ready for it. In the moment of fear, there isn't time for theory or being visceral. (False Evidence Appearing Real) is not a apt expression in Brandon's world. To him it is very real evidence. But the choice to press through the fear is not about overcoming it, but about knowing that the fear is with you, will always be with you to some degree, and accepting it, preparing for it, and going with it, beyond it to the greatness that lay on the other side. He says fear is a sign. It's a guidepost. Fear can be the propeller when we ride with it instead of falling to it. Trusting our gut and intuition more than our rational thoughts on it, which continue to hold us back or may lead astray.

He devotes a chapter to each step of accomplishing the goals he set for himself during his SEALS time and since, now launching a phenomenally successful business that he was at first uneasy about. : Making The Decision, Rehearsal, Letting Go, Jumping Off, and Knowing What Matters

Mastery of fear according to Brandon, is about making use of it, managing the conversation in our head, focusing on what will go right, not what could possibly go wrong, tuning out the bs, and realizing fear is not an illusion, safety is.

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"Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes competent. And competence breeds more competence."

"Haters are just confused admirers." - Paulo Coehlo