Fear Setting: How to Be Courageous
Tim Ferriss created the “fear-setting” exercise by adapting the ancient Stoic practice of premeditatio malorum—literally, the premeditation of evils. It’s a tool to help you define, prevent, and repair potential negative outcomes so fear doesn’t paralyze you and you can make decisions more confidently. If you’re hesitating on a big move or putting something off because the unknown feels scary, this exercise is your antidote. Grab a pen, brain dump your answers, and don’t edit yourself. Thinking endlessly won’t get you anywhere—write fast, write messy, and aim for volume. Spend a few minutes on each question, and watch clarity and courage emerge on the page.
1. Define Your Nightmare
What are you putting off out of fear?
What is the absolute worst that could happen if you did what you’re considering?
What doubts, fears, and “what-ifs” pop up as you consider the big changes you can—or need—to make?
Envision them in painstaking detail. Would it be the end of your life?
What would the permanent impact be, if any, on a scale of 1–10?
Are these things really permanent? How likely is it that they would actually happen?
2. Repair / Respond
What steps could you take to repair the damage or get things back on track, even temporarily?
How could you regain control? Chances are, it’s easier than you imagine.
3. Outcomes or Benefits
Whether temporary, permanent, internal, or external—what might be the benefits of attempting or partially succeeding?
4. Cost of Inaction
What is it costing you—financially, emotionally, physically—to postpone action?
Measure the cost of inaction in real terms. How will you feel allowing circumstances to impose themselves, and having allowed 6 months, 12 months, or 3 years of your finite life to pass doing something unfulfilling?
Time Horizons:
6 Months:
12 Months:
3 Years:
5. What Are You Waiting For?
Is it better to delay by weeks or months to be “fully prepared”?
Or is it better to start right now with little to no preparation?
If you cannot answer this without appealing to the idea of “good timing,” the answer is simple: you’re afraid—just like the rest of the world.
Measure the cost of inaction, realize the unlikelihood and repairability of most missteps, and develop the most important habit of those who excel and enjoy life: action.
