Dec 25, 2023
With Tareq Azim, entrepreneur and author
What scares you? Is it a fear of illness or death? Are you afraid of heights or enclosed spaces? Or, does the fear of failure in business or personal relationships scare you? Perhaps it’s a fear of the unknown. Some people suffer from an extreme fear of simply “being” afraid. “Phobophobia” is a rare medical condition characterized by physical symptoms such as heart palpitations or difficulty breathing that might even require a need for medication.
Although most of us don’t suffer from phobophobia, we all have times in our life when we’re afraid of something. But how that feeling of fear affects us can vary from simple anxiety to intense trauma that disrupts our daily life and could distort our perception of reality.
Whatever it is that makes our palms sweat, our heart pound, and triggers our fight or flight response, we want to run far away from whatever provokes those uncomfortable feelings. However, running away isn’t the answer. Because what happens the next time you come up against that very same fear-causing situation? Those feelings will surface again and again until we learn to overcome our fear.
One of the keys to overcoming fear is knowing what the triggers are and understanding the underlying cause. Sometimes just talking through our fear and exploring what to do in the event of a worst-case scenario might be enough to loosen the hold that phobia has over us. The very act of imagining how we would respond might provide the confidence to know we’ll get through it.
Phobias such as the fear of swimming or being underwater might be addressed over time by learning to swim and increasing our comfort level in the water. But in the beginning, just knowing what to do when we are overcome with panic is a big part of managing our fear going forward. Getting to a quiet place, calming ourselves with deep breathing exercises or meditation, and focusing our thoughts on something comforting or empowering are all things we can do in the moment to work through that fear.
If you want to learn more about how we can stop letting fear rule our lives, then please listen to Florine’s interview with entrepreneur and author, Tareq Azim, whose book, Empower, Conquering the Disease of Fear, provides some wonderful strategies for learning how to overcome our fears.
Hi, I’m Florine Mark, and welcome to “Today’s Takeaway.” Have you ever been afraid to try something because you were convinced you would fail?
Sometimes anxiety and our fear of failure can paralyze us especially if we think we’ll let others down. We may even sabotage our efforts by giving up too easily. But what if it didn’t have to be that way? What if we could learn to control our fear rather than allow it to control us? What if the very thing we fear most, could actually motivate us to succeed? When we are faced with no other alternative, then perhaps fear could help us achieve something we might not otherwise try.
My guest today is Tareq Azim. A former college football star, entrepreneur, and author, Tareq grew up the son of Afghan refugees, who fled the Soviet invasion with their young family, in search of a better life in America. He is also the founder of Empower, a unique fitness training facility where he works with elite athletes such as NFL superstar, Marshawn Lynch. But in addition to training sports legends, Tareq also works with ordinary individuals who aren’t professional athletes. But regardless of who he is training, Tareq’s approach is the same; he doesn’t see himself as their coach, but rather, as their teammate. Tareq is helping his teammates achieve their dreams by overcoming their fears and strengthening their mind, body, and spirit. Recognizing that his unique training methods could work in a variety of ways, Tareq wrote a book called, Empower, Conquering the Disease of Fear. He’s here today
to share his philosophy and some of his training techniques with us to help us overcome our fears.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
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Tareq talks about how his family coming to the United States from Afghanistan influenced the shape of his entire life.
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How did sports help Tareq feel accepted and valuable growing up, and what do they mean to him today?
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Tareq’s desire to join the Navy Seals or Air Force Special Operations was motivated by a desire to overcome fear and utilize it for growth.
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What led Tareq to play Division 1 football?
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How did Tareq end up training elite athletes?
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Why does Tareq call his fitness clients his “teammates”?
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Why is fear the biggest driving force in our lives?
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What can we learn from fear?
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How did Tareq overcome his fear when he met with a Taliban warlord to open a women’s boxing gym in Afghanistan?
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What did Tareq learn from visiting Afghanistan after 9/11?
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Tareq talks more about his book, Empower.
Today’s Takeaway:
Fear can paralyze us. We might be so afraid to step outside of our comfort zone or do something different, that sometimes we don’t even try! But think of all the lost opportunities! All the life experiences we may have missed out on, the jobs or promotions we failed to apply for, or the chance to start a relationship with someone. We lose out simply because we allow our fears to control us. But if we change our mindset to overcome these fears, we might be able to change our lives for the better.
Tareq’s book, Empower gives some amazing examples of just how much can be accomplished once we learn to embrace our fear. By working through that fear rather than running to avoid it, we can go far beyond what we ever imagined might be possible. Sometimes to accomplish change, instead of focusing on our differences, why not focus on what we share in common? Tareq used the shared love of sports to inspire change in Afghanistan by establishing a Women’s Boxing Federation. To gain approval for this program, Tareq had to overcome his fear when meeting with Taliban warlords. His methods demonstrate how the most important and overlooked area in our body is our brain! By working to understand what we fear and overcoming our discomfort, we can accomplish amazing things! Remember that every single day is a gift and when we embrace fear as a gift rather than a burden, we can grow even stronger with that gift and unlock our true potential. I’m Florine Mark, and that’s “Today’s Takeaway.”
Quotes:
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“Sports gave me freedom. Sports made me feel what I was seeking to feel, and what I still seek to feel as an adult, which is accepted, valuable, and relevant.” — Tareq [7:16]
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“I realized that it was fear that was preventing our growth, and it was fear that was preventing our capability and our capacity.” — Tareq [8:31]
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“I'm not necessarily fighting fear, but I’m embracing fear and utilizing it for why it exists.” — Tareq [8:51]
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“I’m very, very proud of being an individual of Afghan having the American Opportunity.” — Tareq [13:11]
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“We’ve been so embraced with open arms since the day we've come to this country.” — Tareq [13:43]
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“I always believed that sport and physical activity is one of the most underutilized medications for mental and emotional health disorders.” — Tareq [14:26]
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“My teammates, or my clients, actually do more for me than I do for them.” — Tareq [16:09]
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“I’m obsessed with trying to find the biggest problems in the world that people haven’t been able to solve.” — Tareq [18:29]
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“Fear is, in my perspective, actually designed to just make you conscious, and hold you accountable to your truths.” — Tareq [20:46]
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“What sport gave me is this capability and this recognition of what a peace and reconciliation tool it could be for a being.” — Tareq [25:13]
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“I learned the value of being and believing in destiny. I also learned about the power and the influence of intentionality and communication.” — Tareq [29:29]
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