This technique can be applied with anything which creates anxiety/fear.
Don’t mistake its simplicity for a lack of effectiveness.
Box jumps, heavy overhead lifts, even intensity tolerance itself, whatever you’re scared of, implement this.
It’s the very same technique I used to move from not being able to swim a single length of a pool, to a comfortable mile swim time in less than a month.*
First off, we all need to stop with the macho bullshit. Some things scare people. That’s fine.
If you struggle, you need to be honest and vulnerable enough to first say “okay, this scares me a little. But now I know that, I can do something about it.”
Next, you need to figure out the amount of fear you can handle. Let’s use our example of box jumps as I know it’s something a lot of athletes struggle with.
If a 24” box jump makes you freak out, how does a 12” box sound? Or even a 2” plate.
The key is in finding something small enough to know you can do it, but big enough to challenge you a little.
Now, spend time with this box jump. Get comfortable with it.
*Key point - be present and watch yourself achieve this! Do not hide from it!*
Do it hundreds of times.
A couple of days later, increase the height by a small amount. Again, an amount which will challenge your fear, but not so much that you can’t do it.
The process from here is simple: rinse and repeat.
Here’s the mindset gem in this.
With your actions, you’re re-writing the story. You’re not learning that box jumps aren’t scary, but that you are braver than you previously knew.
Let me just rephrase that for emphasis:
By Embracing Hardship, you discover that you are tougher, braver, and more courageous than you realised.
You hold the potential to adapt and grow in any situation.
With that knowledge, you can then go out into even bigger challenges and use your new mindset: if something scares me initially, I can overcome it and grow if I turn to face it.
* I still maintain swimming is stupid though. Stop running and you can rest. Stop swimming and you drown