Author Akshay Nanavati has written a bookish weapon without him even realizing it. That’s ok. What a bookish weapon it is! In his introduction this former Marine sets the tone for the book. He says, “we all do the best we can with the level of skills, abilities, knowledge and awareness we possess at any given time.” He credits Jack Canfield for this, but follows it up by saying, “Any time you might be feeling confused, lost, or scared, it is not your fault.” Akshay also hikes! Actually he is a mountaineer which is far more impressive.

What is “Fearvana?” It is when you feel the fear or anxiety, then take action and you succeed. He give es the example of getting all nervous and afraid before going on stage, but then running out onto the stage and knocking it out of the park. That’s Fearvana.

Why Do We Do The Things We Do?

This is the title of chapter two. In it the author describes seven reasons for our actions. A couple of these stood out to me, but you should read the book because the others are important too.

The two that I enjoyed were “The Law of Love and Hate,” and “The Top-of-Mind Rule.” The first is a name he gives the filter of our animal brain. “It states that our gut feelings of love and hate determiner decisions and our views of the world.” The second is explained this way: “The easier it is to recall something from memory, the more likely our brain deems it important or commonplace…Whatever is on top of your mind is more likely to have an impact on your perception of reality.”So what can you do about all this? Akshay says, “By utilizing your human brain to make conscious decisions, you can literally change the physical structure and functions of your animal brain. Your cognitive biases won’t disappear, but you can change the way they operate for you.”

Real Freedom

The author believes that our only real freedom consists of our “ability to separate ourselves from suffering to create our own empowering reality.” So he says, “..it does not matter what you might be struggling with or how it might compare to other people’s suffering. Don’t waste your time and energy in the destructive downward spiral of second dart syndrome.” And what is the “second dart syndrome?” It is from Buddhist philosophy that says when we experience pain or suffering, it is the result of two darts. “First darts are the ones beyond our control…Second darts are the manner in which we react and respond to the first ones.”

It is all internal. “What we do inside our minds, the conversation we have with ourselves, that is what shapes our reality. Our mindset determines how much we suffer.You have the power and the freedom to choose how you interpret the world. That interpretation will control the quality of your life. If you don’t exercise this freedom, your brain will create its own interpretations without your awareness.”

LMNOP

Easy to remember, right? I liked it too. Of course, each of those letters stand for something. When something negative happens and you feel an emotion use these. L-label and language. Label the emotion to release yourself from the impact. M-Find the meaning you have attached to the event or emotion. You control the meaning. N – It’s not you. It’s your brain. You are just stuck in a pattern. “It is not who you are.” I guess N is for “Not.” O – Opt out for a more empowering meaning. Give the emotion or event or both a new meaning, P- Purpose and Preemptive strikes. The important thing in this step is to the action . Do something different the before. It builds new brain patterns.

LMNOP is a great tool for helping you get past an experience or emotion.

Changing Your Past Memory

He discusses how to change a past negative memory. Get yourself in a positive state, and then “going into you past, you can change the effect the past has on you today.” This was most interesting. This is all under a section called. “Your Past Is A Lie.” You need to do this in a six hour window. So “to change the past we need to activate a memory from an optimistic present state and modify it within six hours. Your past helped shape the fears that keep you imprisoned in your present, so altering your memories is often a necessary step to move from fear to Fearvana.”

Get the book for the complete process.

Positive Suffering

That’s my title. The author talks a lot about suffering and says, “Unending bliss awaits us within the simplicity of going to war with ourselves.” He says, “…people with high levels of stress without depression are some of the happiest people in the world. They are also the people who are most likely to view their lives as meaningful.” He stresses the need to prime your subconscious mind to embrace struggle.

I like what he suggests when you face a challenge. He says to ask, “What is fun about this? How can I make this enjoyable?” “Visualizing the process of struggle, as opposed to the outcome on the other side of it, better prepares you to overcome the struggle.”

That’s a quick look at the book. I didn’t even tewl you about the section entitled “The Most Important Habit Of All.” Get the book and read about it!