After a Hall of Fame basketball career that included one NCAA national championship, one Olympic Gold Medal, five NBA championships, and 12 seasons as an NBA All-Star, Magic Johnson took on the business world with the same passionate and fearless approach that made him a basketball legend.
Johnson is the CEO and founder of Magic Johnson Enterprises (a business conglomerate valued at $1 billion), he’s the co-owner of three sports franchises (including the Los Angeles Dodgers), and he serves as president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Magic Johnson believes the same values and lessons that lead to success on the basketball court also lead to success in the business world. How he deals with fear is one of those keys to success…
Fears are usually based on feelings rather than reality.
As adults, we tell ourselves we can’t chase our dreams because we are afraid of failing, but what is failing? Everyone fails at some point. If you understand that and know that failure is just part of the learning process, you can always get back up and try again.
Fears come at us in many forms. Fear of failure is common; so is fear of success. Some people never make a move because they are afraid that they will get what they want and then somehow blow it or not know what to do next. Others are afraid to reach higher because they might have to let go of where they are. They don’t want to leave the comfortable and familiar to strive for something greater.
When fears plant themselves in our mind, they take on more power. We give them that power. We can take it away. That’s why it’s important to recognize them for what they are.
Fears are emotions. They are not real. You can walk right through them if you just make yourself take that first step and keep moving.
To me, the definition of personal success is to take on new challenges, to keep stretching and growing, and doing some good for others along the way. We all have our fears, but as long as we are able to face them and move forward, we can’t be stopped.
Going to the hoop in basketball means driving toward the goal even though you know you are going to meet opposition and maybe get bruised and battered. Successful entrepreneurs must have the same sort of focus and drive to get past their fears and the competition.
— Magic Johnson, from his book 32 Ways to be a Champion in Business
It’s been said that fear is nothing more than: False Evidence Appearing Real.
While fear may not be anything more than an emotion, it’s an extremely powerful emotion. Fear may not be real, but it certainly feels real and its power undoubtedly has real-life consequences.
To be clear, fear has some positive value. It alerts us to danger and motivates us to work harder, prepare more thoroughly, and push ourselves further.
But, too often, fear can hold you back from the life you desire. Fear is the voice in your head that tells you not to try something new or “risky.” It stresses you out with worry and anxiety. It makes you doubt yourself.
Successful people don’t overcome fear by pretending it doesn’t exist. Instead, they approach it just like any other worthy opponent or obstacle: they attack it.
Don’t let fear win. Fear must be defeated. As Magic Johnson states in the above passage, the only way to defeat fear is to face it directly and to keep moving forward.
Don’t run away from your fears, run through them.
