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It was early fall in Kyiv; I was strolling by Taras Shevchenko Park when a beautiful silver Maserati caught my eye. Kyiv, Ukraine (where I think I met a spy) oddly has the highest concentrations of high-end performance luxury cars that I've seen outside of Miami or Los Angeles. It parked just ahead of me and a muscular, middle-aged driver wearing stylish athletic gear got out. I thought to myself...
I should approach him and compliment his car.
But of course, a bunch of reasons jumped to mind as to why that was a terrible idea.
You have no idea who the hell this guy is! In a city and a country like this with a car like that, he might be a real mobster. You're just a solo tourist here. You're in no position to be taking risks! You'll probably annoy him. Just mind your own business! This is not a country where people appreciate strangers starting conversations with them. He might not even speak English.
I pushed those thoughts aside and just started walking towards the guy. I clearly enunciated in English: "Excuse me. That is a beautiful car." (I did speak enough Russian to say this, but I've learned over the course of many cold approaches that unless you speak a language fluently, just go with English)
The guy smiled just slightly and responded in a thick Slavic accent: Thank you. It's new. We chatted for a few minutes there about cars before heading our separate ways, and he told me he was a dentist. A likely story!
I had been watching some pick-up artist videos about daygame - approaching attractive women during the day (while sober!) - and was determined to try it. Strolling down the street in Medellin, Colombia I spotted a good-looking woman walking ahead of me with long black hair, dressed somewhat professionally in a form-fitting grey dress.
Immediately, massive approach anxiety kicked in: Don't bother her, she looks like she's going to work! But I just kept my feet moving toward her, I trotted ahead of her, turned waved, and told her in Spanish "Hello, I'm Jonathan. I just saw you and thought you looked very beautiful today!" I then froze up and ran out of things to say. She smiled, stopped, and asked me where I was from.
She pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit up, and offered me one (I declined). We chatted for a bit there, and I actually scored her number (beginners' luck - audaces fortuna juvat). But we never met again.
Recently, I had a somewhat awkward moment at the gym; a bigger guy kinda-sorta cut me off, going for a station I was just about to use. Waiting for him to complete his set (I wasn't mad at him; he was just a bit more assertive), I thought, I should strike up a conversation!
But then the anxiety kicked in, and I started making excuses to not interrupt him: This guy just cut you off, he might be an asshole. You're wearing headphones, he's wearing headphones - why bother him? He might not even speak English! But I pushed those aside and asked him when he finished to spot me, and he obliged. After, he asked me, "Where are you from?" And we chatted; gym buddy made.
We tend to think of anxiety as kind of a problem of wimpy people; we hear anxiety and we think of...
But these are not the only manifestations of anxiety;
Meaningful accomplishment entails danger and brilliance requires getting rid of the safety net. If you are doing something that matters,
You may have some great redeeming qualities, but if you're not at least moderately fearful about your future, you are not ambitious. Entrepreneurs and business people are infamous for how they self-medicate for their anxiety...
You might say...
So, anxiety is just part of the deal. If you want to do something that matters in the world, anxiety and stress will be your companions.
If you were living at any other time in history, that sentiment would be spot on - the cold undeniable reality of the human condition (especially for men) - but you are more fortunate than you know to be living in the current year, and it's not really true anymore.
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real
So, what is a more rational response to fear?
Embrace acute fear arbitrarily.\Biohack general fear categorically.
I'll elaborate and illustrate.
First...
Often, visceral fear is the compass that we can use to navigate to success. The more guttural the fear we have about something that we intellectually know is not deserving of avoidance, the more we should lean into THAT fear. Often,
You'll hear successful people talk about how they just follow their instincts which can be super frustrating to hear if you have met with failure in the past and perhaps have some scars as a result of just following your instincts or impulsive decision-making.
...about how to habituate heuristic decision-making.
Second...
And, of course, there are a lot of anxiolytic drugs that people use to deal with anxiety but the problem with almost all of them is that they also blunt performance and retard cognition; 500 milligrams of Phenibut will marvelously clear your head of all your worries in about 30-45 minutes, but it will have a detrimental effect on your ability to do intellectual work.
Luckily,
Nicotine - The creativity smart drug consistently lowers cortisol, the stress hormone. In my HRV self-quantification, I've found that it outperforms everything else in putting me into a coherent productive state of relaxed arousal.
Panax Ginseng - An adaptogenic medicinal herb of mythological potency for increasing stamina and a profound sense of well-being. Make sure you're getting the good stuff (it won't be cheap), and you'll enjoy the cooler cat you become.
Rhodiola - This adaptogenic herbal stimulant has been used as an energy-boosting agent in Russia and China for centuries. It balances the autonomic nervous system, enhancing stress-management capacity along with empowering the immune system and combating fatigue.
Ashwaghanda - Another historical Nootropic and a member of the Adaptogen family of natural performance enhancers that empower Biohackers to live vigorously. As a Nootropic, it helps with anxiety, insomnia, aging signs, and as an adaptogen to manage stress.
Aniracetam - A hardcore smart drug that works on the AMPA receptor. A 2001 Japanese study demonstrated it as highly effective in treating anxiety.
L-Theanine - The active tranquilizing ingredient that makes green tea calming, while at the same time interacting favorably with a range of Nootropic uppers.
Kratom - I list this last because while it is very effective for some people's chronic anxiety, it does a have dark side for some. Some of the science indicates it may have a negative effect on cognition.