feel the fear
And do it anyway
-By Dannie Crewe
This is something my dad used to say to me growing up and I say it often to myself now.
The sentiment being that we shouldn’t run away from the things that scare us - unless of course it could actually hurt or kill you (duh)
And it’s a very nice sentiment. But not always easy to execute.
Sometimes we have good intentions to throw ourselves into something new or go after a bold goal - we might even start to make progress … then, out of nowhere, we skip the workout, delay the appointment, or convince ourselves we “don’t really want it anyway.”
That, my good people, is self-sabotage and it’s not because we’re weak, lazy, or lacking discipline. It’s because our “primitive” brain is wired to keep us in familiar territory.
The “Primitive Brain”
It’s the part of the brain that’s been keeping humans alive for thousands of years. Its job is survival, not progress. It likes predictability because the familiar cave was safe, and the unknown part of the forest could be dangerous.
So, when we try to make a big change - whether it’s training for a first Hyrox race, building a new business, or cleaning up our Nutrition - it’s essentially the unknown part of the forest and our brain waves the red flag.
It’s a very powerful, built-in protection system and it’s pretty sneaky-sneaky because it’ll subtly manipulate us, whispering excuses, creating doubt, and nudging us back toward our comfort zone because it doesn’t like change.
Well, respectfully, in times when we’re trying to better ourselves, the Primitive brain can - quite frankly - swivel.
If we’re aware of what’s happening we can push through discomfort - we can feel the fear and do it anyway. And that is where the deep satisfaction of growth and progress happens.
Outsmart Self-Sabotage
Here are three practical ways to keep moving forward when your troublesome monkey brain tries to hold you back:
Recognise it as Self Sabotage
The moment you notice the excuses - “I’ll start next week” or “I’m too tired” - name it: this is self-sabotage. Awareness stops it from running ahead. So in the words of the great Wizard Gandalf, shout (ideally internally) “You shall not pass!”Baby Steps
Your brain fears big leaps but if you break down the change into smaller, less intimidating steps you’ll trigger the safety response less. So instead of “I’ll book a Hyrox race and train for it”, just try a Hyrox class or send an inquisitive whatsapp to a friendly coach.Commit publicly
Tell a friend, coach, or colleague what you’re doing. Accountability makes it harder to back out when your comfort zone calls.
Remember then,
Self-sabotage isn’t a flaw in your character. It’s an ancient survival mechanism doing its job too well in our modern world.
But the more you practice acting in spite of fear, the more your brain learns that discomfort doesn’t mean danger, it means growth.
