I see the heroes of July’s issue of Fear.less as more… minimalistic than most (but certainly not minimal). Despite the hugeness of their careers or circumstances, they all reveal and triumph because of their unrelenting humanity.
William Ury directs the Global Negotiation Initiative. He is what you and I would call a “smooth talker”, but that doesn’t quite capture his ability to stop wars, navigate stormy corporate seas, and overcome the fear that strikes when one is about to talk to Hugo Chávez. What puts William back into a comfortable, courageous balance? A walk through a garden.
Leo Babauta’s blog title, Zen Habits, is an important clue to his approach to daily fear. By embracing simplicity, humility, and honesty, Leo has traveled an upward spiral and become a successful writer, blogger and e-book publisher.
Roz Zander is a therapist and coach, and from her Fear.less story it’s clear why. She provides valuable concrete examples of “reframing your perspective” and simple fear-fighting tools – and concrete examples help, don’t they? She isn’t some sorceress who has “figured things out” – anything she can do, we can do.
Colleen Wainwright is a funny, honest writer-speaker who not only dives deep into the curious world of abandoning “prestigious” jobs to follow your heart and an experience with a life-threatening disease, but was also in Space Jam, perhaps the finest movie ever made.
Then there’s John Thompson, who spent years on death row for a murder he didn’t commit. I can’t do John’s story justice, it would sound like a movie. Just read it. The long transformation he must undergo to survive, a gritty spin on hope and compassion, is unlike anything I’ve ever seen or read about. He will change you, somehow.
Thank you, readers, for allowing us to go on for these three months, so we could share these stories with you.
Looking forward to reading this issue. Amazing how fear is a constant factor in all struggles from less-critical stuff like “I want to enjoy being a musician but never seem to” right up to being wrongfully accused of committing a major crime.