Samanee Mahbub

The biggest difference between

dreamers and do-ers?

Doing despite their fears.

Here’s how you can become a

do-er with 1 simple exercise:
 Samanee Mahbub

Fear kills more dreams than failure ever

will. And yet, we let fear stop us from
taking action.

The 3 most common fears are:

1. The fear of failure
2. The fear of success
3. The fear of judgment
 Samanee Mahbub

The reality is, we might never stop being

afraid. These fears are ingrained.

Instead, it’s about using our logical

reasoning to take action towards our big
dream despite our fears.

Let’s go through a simple exercise to

help you rationalize away your fears.
 Samanee Mahbub

This exercise is called The Magic

Minimization Formula, popularized by
Dale Carnegie.

It has 3 steps:
1. Analyze the problem
2. Accept the worst possible outcome
3. Minimize the problem
 Samanee Mahbub

1. Analyze the problem

Look at the fear or problem you have

with some detachment.

Write down what worries you, whether

it’s personal or professional. Write
everything that comes to mind.

As you write down each fear, answer:

“What is the worst that could possible
happen?”
 Samanee Mahbub

An example of this could be:

I am scared that if I pursue my passion

of writing, I won’t make enough money, I
can’t support myself, I’ll have to give up
my apartment, and move in with my
parents and disappoint them.
 Samanee Mahbub

2. Accept the worst possible outcome

Look at the worst possible outcomes

and accept that the worst may happen.

By accepting, we can relax and bring

energy away from the fear and towards
problem solving.

We activate our ability to focus better on

the issue at hand.
 Samanee Mahbub

An example of acceptance could be:

I am scared that I won’t make enough

money and move in with my parents. If
that happens, I can find remote jobs
through Linkedin or my alum network. I
can pick up freelance work. I also get
increased bonding time with my parents
(for better or for worse). I can support
myself with lower expenses and pursue
my passion for writing.
 Samanee Mahbub

3. Minimize the problem

Finally, figure out how we can improve the

worst case outcome through actions we
can take today.

This is about consequence minimization.

You want to reduce the what-ifs, the fears,

the worst case situations.
 Samanee Mahbub

An example of minimizing the problem

could be:

If I pursue writing, I might not make

enough money and lose my apartment.
But I still have a job now. I can start
setting aside some cash for an
emergency fund. I can also write for an
hour a day and start to build an
audience, I don’t need to quit tomorrow.
 Samanee Mahbub

In summary, we fear failure, success, and

judgment. But use the Magic
Minimization Formula by:

1. Analyzing the problem

2. Accept the worst possible outcome
3. Minimize the problem

This is a practical strategy to reduce any

fears you may have and take action on
your big dreams.
 Samanee Mahbub

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