This past weekend I watched a livestream of a man risking his life by free soloing (climbing without ropes) a 1,667ft skyscraper.

This man is the legendary Alex Honnold who is famously known for his documentary Free Solo - in which he free solos El Capitan. (a 3,000ft monolith)

If you have not heard of him then you might be living under a rock… one that Alex can probably climb over.

This week I have consumed just about every single article and interview he has done.

To my surprise Alex isn’t crazy. He doesn’t have a death wish. He is just a normal guy who has come face to face with his biggest fear. Death.

There are probably 6 dozens newsletter I could write over Alex’s unique perspective on life but don’t worry I won’t do that.

Instead I will just share one.

In one the interviews with Alex, he talks about the importance of facing your fears.

Alex rhetorically asks, “When was the last time people faced actual fear?”

He goes on to explain that if we do not embrace actual fear and danger then your mind starts creating its own.

He ends by saying, “the more real experiences you have with real fear, the less likely you are to make mountain out of molehills.”

If I am being honest, I am struggling to figure out a way to implement this concept into my life.

I have no desire to free solo a skyscraper or do anything even remotely close to that.

But it is a helpful to put your current challenges into your life’s perspective.

Evenmore, putting your current challenges in the perspective of death.

That is what I think Alex is trying to communicate.

Most of our problems are smaller than we think.

Maybe if we started facing real problems like danger, death, or actual fear then our problems at work, home, school, etc. won’t bother us so much.

Go out and face your fears. Go out and make a difference.

Check out a clip of the interview - I could only find it on Youtube shorts… Don’t judge me.

_{P.S. Don’t forget to wish Jcole a happy birthday}