Rating: Good The Fear Bubble blurb excerpt: Ant Middleton is no stranger to fear: as a point man in the Special Forces, he confronted fear on a daily basis. In prison, he was thrust into the unknown, cut off from friends and family, isolated with thoughts of failure and dread for his future. And at the top of Everest, in desperate, life-threatening conditions, he was forced to face his greatest fear, that of leaving his wife and children without a husband and father. But fear is not his enemy. It is the energy that propels him. Thanks to the revolutionary concept of the Fear Bubble.
My opinion: I found this to be an entertaining read. Although I am not sure how entertaining being on the mountain with Ant would be.
This is a book that will polarise most people. I loved the concept of the fear bubble, albeit simplistic. I also really enjoyed his portrayal of summiting Everest and his authentic portrayal of what transpired.
However, I struggled immensely when he preached pride over ego, yet demonstrated actions that were not congruent with this message. In my opinion, he frequently came across as being narcissistic, insecure, adrenaline-seeking, and selfish.
I can see why people would find this book Excellent. For me, it was just good entertainment.
Lessons from The Fear Bubble:
Three types of fear:
Fear of suffering
Fear of failure
Fear of conflict
The Fear Bubble: a simple way of combating fear which could be summarised as lean in when the time is right, execute, and get out. Break down big tasks into chunks and get after them one at a time.
You can't eliminate fear but it is possible to break it down into smaller chunks so it's a little less all-consuming and relentless.
Delay fear until it’s validated. If you a fearful of an event, circumstance, or person allowing that fear to evolve over time is neither practical nor enjoyable. Timing your fear allows you to leverage the fear response without feeling debilitated.
Enter the Fear bubble. A visual representation of the encounter. (Get In)
Complete your task and pierce the bubble. (Get out)
Feel the reward. (Celebrate)
Seek the next bubble. (Refocus)
Fear is a prompt for you to get ready. Commit yourself fully or not at all. If you can’t, that’s fine. Step back out of the bubble and attack it again when you sort yourself out. Adopting a ‘Maybe’ mindset traps you in a bubble and sucks your time and energy.
There are two lenses to look at life through;
A positive one, or
A negative and victim mindset
Negativity is contagious and there should be no place for negative thoughts or people in your life.
How to overcome a victim mindset;
Acknowledge where you're at
Process what has occurred
Move on
People tend to define you by the least evolved version of you. It’s common to hear ‘you’re not the same person who you were back then. People always want to define you by who you were. They believe the true you is the most basic, least involved version of yourself. That's ok. Let them.
The Fear Bubble Best Quotes;
“Without fear, there’s no challenge. Without challenge, there’s no growth. Without growth, there’s no life.”
“Fear is like a wild horse. You can let it trample all over you, or you can put a harness on it and let it carry you forwards”
What Next:
If you are interested in this book, you may want to check out our list of reviewed Biographies.
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