The 4-Hour Workweek: Chapter Summary (Chapter 3: Dodging Bullets)

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Chapter 3 is about moving beyond fear by first recognizing and facing it, then realizing that most of it is self-concocted, figuring the cost of inaction versus the benefits of action, and, finally, moving on your goals. To help steer you in the right direction, Ferriss recommends tattooing the following on your forehead:

What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.

He adds that those who do best in life are those who are generally willing to have the greatest number of uncomfortable conversations.

That includes, perhaps above all, the conversations we need to have with ourselves. In a process called “fear-setting,” Ferriss gives us specific advice to help us define the nightmare, evaluate the real likelihood of its occurrence and the magnitude of its effects, and consider what we could do to repair the situation in the event that it does happen. To this end, he suggests that we “brain-vomit” onto the page rather than think too much, since too much thinking tends to cause the very “analysis paralysis” that prevents us from moving in the first place. He also warns us that fear “comes in many forms,” including optimism, and not to be fooled by excuses for inaction that are really just fear in disguise. What he personally found in doing the “brain-vomiting” exercise was that the genuine likelihood of the nightmare was really much lower than expected, that its effects, if any, would be temporary, and that the potential benefits of action far outweighed the costs of inaction. In his own experience, the nightmare never happened, his business improved instead of falling apart, and he enjoyed a memorable fifteen months traveling.

One of the most important side effects of action is the mental shift that it inevitably produces. Instead of worrying about potential disasters, Ferriss soon found himself “planning my adventures and eliminating my physical and psychological baggage.” The case studies that he cites showed a similar shift in attitude as each person came to terms with what really mattered in life, even if the new assumptions didn’t match generally accepted notions or previously hard-earned goals. Once they took the plunge and dared in some instances to “throw it all away,” several things happened: they realized that there was nothing to fear, their real values became clear, and they made a commitment to creating a really meaningful life. Ferriss’s point is that all of us can do this if we set aside our fears and adopt that crucial habit called action.