Do Things That Scare You
Use growth-related fear as a cue to approach, not retreat
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 92%
Do Things That Scare You is MrBallen's rule for approaching meaningful opportunities that fear has kept out of reach. First identify an action you genuinely want, then distinguish performance discomfort from a credible warning of danger. If the obstacle is fear of embarrassment, failure, or not measuring up, connect the attempt to the valued outcome behind it and commit to entering the experience. The model treats anticipatory fear as temporary and action as a source of corrective evidence: reality may be more manageable than the imagined event, while even an imperfect attempt can reduce avoidance next time. MrBallen illustrates this with public speaking, where an earlier freeze became a reason to face the challenge again rather than abandon it permanently.
Origin
Extracted from The Diary of a CEO
Core principles
- 01Fear can mark a valued challenge rather than a reason to stop.
- 02Real danger and growth-related discomfort require different responses.
- 03Anticipation may feel worse than entering the experience.
- 04A failed attempt can become preparation for a later attempt.
How to run it
- 1
Name the avoided action
Identify the specific thing you want to do but keep postponing because of fear.
Pro tip Make the action observable, such as delivering a talk rather than becoming confident.
- 2
Run the danger check
Ask whether the fear signals a credible threat or the discomfort of possible embarrassment, failure, or exposure.
Watch out If there is credible danger, protect yourself rather than forcing exposure.
- 3
Connect fear to value
State what meaningful outcome, experience, or unchecked ambition sits beyond the discomfort.
Pro tip Use your own motive, not the motive you think sounds most admirable.
- 4
Enter the experience
Commit to a concrete attempt and stay present long enough to replace anticipation with direct evidence.
Pro tip Design the attempt so success means facing the situation, not performing flawlessly.
- 5
Convert the result into evidence
Record what actually happened and use it to make the next attempt more informed.
Pro tip If you fail, ask what the attempt now makes possible that avoidance did not.
In the wild
MrBallen had previously frozen during a speech in San Francisco, put down the microphone, and left. Years later, despite describing himself as terrified of public speaking, he chose a 15-show live tour and deliberately used limited production so he had to hold the audience with a microphone and a story. Once on stage, he found the experience enjoyable and completed the goal that had long frightened him.
→ Facing the feared setting turned an old failure into evidence that he could perform live.
Common mistakes
Confusing danger with discomfort
The rule is for valued, reasonably safe challenges, not for overriding credible warnings of harm.
Requiring a flawless attempt
If success means perfect performance, fear retains control; the first goal is to enter the experience.
Treating one failure as a verdict
An unsuccessful attempt can supply the experience needed to face the situation again.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for safe but uncomfortable growth challenges such as speaking, creating, applying, or reconnecting.
Not ideal for
It is not for ignoring credible physical danger or treating every fear response as irrational.
From the transcript
“it's do things that scare you”
“before everything that I've done in my life is the worst part”
“you don't regret the failure you regret not trying”
From the episode
MrBallen (Former Navy SEAL): I Wasn't Sleeping, I Became A Raging Alcoholic! I Was Disowned By The SEALS! This Will Turn Your Life Around In 2025!