What such a man needs is not courage but nerve control, cool headedness. This he can get only with practice
– Theodore Roosevelt
Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is The Way, p. 24
During a photoshoot in a studio, the photographer’s assistant went up to the roof to open a windows, fell through the windows and landed at the feet of the shoots subject, Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War commander. Potentially lethal shades of glass rained down around the General. He didn’t flinch.
When the final piece had fallen, he simply looked from the, now breezy, skylight back to the camera and was ready to continue the photoshoot.
During the war campaign, Grant had shown similar unnerved focus. When shells were taking out men and horses around him, Grant would stay looking ahead at the enemy. Whilst others ducked for cover, he would invariably move towards the explosion.
That’s a man with composure. A dude who has to get sh*t done and would walk through fire to do so. That is nerve.
But what about us…
We have our own Confederates surrounding us: business competitors; unexpected problems; staff to hire, manage and fire; IT crashes; bosses to keep happy. The glass is falling down around our ears.
Do we dust it off? Look the tiger in the eye? Punch the shark in the nose? Or do we run and hide? Drink too much or pop a pill? Go home, scream at your spouse and kick the cat?
Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.
― Joseph Heller, ‘Catch-22‘
That is all the sub-conscious stuff that people do without thought. Remember, there are people out there who really are trying to undermine you. They want to get in your face. Bully you. Force you to make a rash decision. They want to manipulate you to their will.
What are you going to do about it?
Pressure and stress naturally come with ambition. You can’t shoot for the star without dodging a few asteroids. Things are going to happen that are unexpected, scary or confrontational. Pitfalls and potholes are almost a given. The risk of getting anxious is always there.
When this happens, it does not matter how normally smart or athletic or quick witted you are. Before you can show how intelligent or talented you are, you need to be steady on your feet and of mind.
… tranquil courage in the midst of tumult and serenity of soul in danger, which the English call a cool head
– Voltaire on the secret of success of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in military victories over Louis XIV’s French troops
Whether we are facing down an literal tiger or shark or not – your ‘lizard’ brain can not tell the difference between social fear and physical threat – anxiety will put you at the mercy of the survivalist, instinctual brain.
You do not have to be a stiff upper lipped knight of the realm to possess grace and poise under fire. In the end, nerve is a case of defiance and acceptance.
It is a matter of refusal to accept or acknowledge falsehoods and negative emotions; denial of those who attempt to intimidate you; and resistance to the temptation to give up or abandon the cause.
It is also a matter of acceptance. Acceptance of responsibility. You do not have the luxury of being flabbergasted or dwelling on past decisions. You are too busy and too many others are relying on you.
Defiance and acceptance merge in the present theorem: there is always an appropriate reaction, always a tactical retreat or circumnavigation option, so there is no cause to get anxious. As Chris Martin sings during ‘The Scientist’, “Nobody said it was easy”. There may be a lot riding on the outcome but the spoils are there for the taking for those who are composed enough to reach for them.
This is what we’ve got to do. And we know that it’s going to be tough, maybe even scary.
But we’re ready for that. We’re collected and serious and aren’t going to be frightened off
– Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is The Way, p. 26
This requires good preparation for what lays ahead , which can be achieved with a steady head. Hardening oneself. As Jay Z said:
…go and brush your shoulders off. Ladies is pimps too, gon’ brush your shoulders off…
Get, that, dirt off your shoulder
You gotta get, that, dirt off your shoulder
You gotta get, that, dirt off your shoulder
You gotta get, that, dirt off your shoulder
You gotta get, that, dirt off your shoulder
And plough on – looking them straight in the eye, not blinking. Ain’t nothing but a thang.
Because, as I said in my previous post, it’s true: there is no good or bad, only perception. If you hold your nerve, you make sure that nothing bad did happen.
Play on playa,
Scott