How Alexander the Great Can Help You Overcome Your Fears as a Writer
“To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.” — Bertrand Russell
All human beings face fears, and when we have to carry out or start a new project in life, the first feeling is possibly that… fear!
In the worst case, that fear can lead you to paralyze, for some strange reason, you may feel unable to achieve what you want and the mental war begins.
But you know that mental warfare you must conquer — at any rate — at that moment you are already strengthening your mind and taking the right step. Think positively when faced with the challenge.
Bertrand Russell once said it well:
“To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.”
It is wise to make your positive thoughts your flag, your north, your shield against fear or doubt.
It is at that moment that you decide what will be your source of inspiration to fuel your courage and overcome fear.
It is here that we can use the great example of Alexander the Great.
The origins of Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon, also known as Alexander the Great, was born in Pela (northern Greece) in 356 BC. C.
His father, King Philip II of Macedonia, prepared him to rule from a young age both from a military and intellectual perspective, the latter delegated to the Greek philosopher Aristotle himself.
At age 20, after the death of his father, Alexander became king of Macedonia. His reign, characterized by a brilliant and violent political-military strategy, began with the control of the rebellions of the Greek cities after the fall of his father, the conquest of the Persian empire (main historical enemy) and ultimately the expansion of his kingdom to the Indus River (present-day India).
How Alexander the Great conquered fear?
Epirus was an old feudal kingdom, and like many of its neighboring kingdoms, the imperial family traced its ancestry to one of the Olympian gods, Zeus, and they also maintained that they were related to Achilles, the tragic hero of the Trojan War.
The royals of Epirus believed they were descended from Molossians, the son of Andromache and Neoptolemus — a son of Achilles. This claim made Olympias tell Alexander from a young age, over and over again, that he was a descendant of heroes, Achilles in particular.
Olympias recounted later to Alexander events she said happened to her on her wedding night: A bolt of lightning suddenly blasted into womb without hurting her, and this was, so believed was Zeus impregnating her.
Plutarch wrote in his ‘Greek Lives,’ “…when Alexander was setting out on his eastern campaign, Olympias accompanied him during the procession, told him in private the secret of his birth, and urged him to entertain ambitions worthy of his parentage.”
Alexander believed he was truly a god, an unbeatable god.
And how he would conqueror his fear to win in battle was because he believed he was a god.
I believe that is the main reason he could conqueror his fear.
Takeaway Insight for Writers
What are the possible fears of a writer?
1. Fear of criticism
Undoubtedly, every writer or anyone from a different profession is afraid of criticism and although many say they do not care what others think of their works, in this case the reality is that we all care, we only demonstrate that importance in different ways.
What to do:
You should not allow criticism and what others think of you and your work to increase your fear.
Napoleon Hill mentions it this way:
“The majority of people permit relatives, friends,
and the public at large to so influence them
that they cannot live their own lives,
because they fear criticism.”
Napoleon hill
You cannot allow this to influence your life, and do not allow yourself to be the person you want to be — in this case — a great writer!
2. Fear of failure
I believe that the fear of failure is born together with the idea that we have to write a book and it accompanies us even after finishing it.
The goals that a writer sets for himself are various, some can be very greedy and others very simple. Regardless of the goal, the fear of not achieving it can frustrate the path that must be traveled to be successful.
What to do:
I want to tell all of you not to let fear of failure be the reason you did not meet your goals.
Whatever you set your mind to in life, you can achieve it. If you want to be the best writer and develop your skills to the fullest, you must put your mind and your heart into it.
“You can do anything you put your heart, mind, and soul into. Far more than you can imagine. Be fearless. Do it.”
LL Cool J
Putting yourself into action in favor of your career as a writer is the key to overcome your fear of failure.
Don’t let fear win the battle inside your mind, defeat them like Alexander the Great, convince yourself that you are a great writer.
Start being who you are and then think about being the best writer.
“Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.”
Julius Charles Hare
