I like this video and it’s not only because I used to be terrified of swimming. It’s also because Tim Ferris has a unique approach to smashing fear and learning anything.

As a kid a couple of boys held my head under water in a pool for so long that I passed out and had to be revived by the lifeguard. That’s when my fear of drowning was created.

It took me years to get up enough courage to take a series of swimming lessons specially for those like me, who were absolutely terrified of being in water that was deep enough to be over their heads. In the end I did learn how to swim and continued on to graduate from 4 progressive classes. However, that being said, although I love being immersed in hot water I will never “love” swimming.

Previous to dealing with my fear of drowning I had conquered the  fear of dying in a fire, evoked by being in a house fire that burned our home right to the ground when I was a child.  And,  more recently I have  learned some constructive  approaches to dealing with the fear of  rejection.

Why you should watch this video

Tim Ferris brings an analytical, yet accessible, approach to the challenges of self-improvement and career advancement through what he calls “lifestyle design.” His 2007 book, The 4-Hour Workweek , a self-improvement program of four steps: defining aspirations, managing time, creating automatic income and escaping the trappings of the 9-to-5 life.

Tim’s lectures on productivity are stuffed with moving, encouraging anecdotes — often from his own life — that show how simple decisions, made despite fears or hesitation, can make for a drastically more meaningful day-to-day experience at work, or in life.  Full Profile

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