Surf The Wave: Acknowledge Fear and Recognize It as a Tool, Not an Obstacle
Written by: Ajene Watson
(Managing Member at AWLLC, CEO of DigitalAMN, and Managing Director at .HipHop)
Fear in entrepreneurship is often addressed superficially — something to “get over” or simply “push through.” But acknowledging fear, in its truest sense, requires facing it on a much deeper level. For me, this lesson came from an unexpected source: my training in Krav Maga, a combative arts system designed for real-life self-defense.
One of the more intense drills I’ve undergone involved being suffocated with a plastic bag, choked from behind, and attacked by multiple assailants. In this instance, the drill required me NOT to fight back. That right… I could not fight back. In this particular drill, my only option was to protect vital areas while enduring 30–45 seconds of suffocation, chokes and strikes to my head and body. And while tapping out was always an option, the challenge was to stay calm despite the overwhelming urge to quit.
This drill taught me that fear isn’t just an emotion — it’s a force that drives action, often in unproductive ways. Panic makes you want to “tap out” or quit, just as in business, fear can push you towards rash decisions or giving up. However, the true power lies in acknowledging fear without letting it control you. Surfing the waves of fear, without letting its power overtake you. In that drill, I learned to relax into the discomfort, recognizing that survival lay just beyond those 45 seconds of chaos.
As both an #entrepreneur and #investor, I’ve faced numerous challenges that felt insurmountable — financial crises, failed ventures, reputational risks, etc. — even achieving considerable success but lacking the maturity to handle it responsibly. Before my #KravMaga training, I would flail in the face of adversity, fighting desperately to survive. But after that drill, I realized that #resilience isn’t about fighting harder or indiscriminately; it’s about staying calm amidst the chaos, and strategic even in the face of possible death.
Now, when I encounter fear in my #business life, I remember the lesson from that drill: “acknowledge the #fear, but don’t let it dictate your actions.” Instead of rushing to react, I find peace in the discomfort, conserving my energy for strategic, weighted and measured decisions. This #mindset allows me to navigate high-stakes situations with clarity, even when the stakes are a matter of life or death for my business.
Fear will always be there in #entrepreneurship, but by acknowledging it fully — by learning to sit with it and endure it — you can find the strength to move through it, not just past it; adopting a newfound wisdom to blossom from within it.
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