5 Epic Books About Facing Fears and Still Creating an Amazing Life

There are many legendary works of literature.

Stellar works of fiction like Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and The Count of Monte Christo by Alexander Dumas speak volumes about life’s desires and quests.

They narrate chasing dreams unto the ends of the earth, encountering insanity in the human psyche, suffering through betrayals and wicked injustice, and the strength and faith it takes to overcome obstacles.

Thousands of self-help books purport to contain hidden wisdom that will transform your life. But rarely do they deliver on that promise, and most of them are straight-up trash. 

Even so, every once in a while, you come across a legendary classic that has the potential to change the course of your life. 

Books - The Most Powerful Tools for Getting the Most Out of Life?

Besides facing fears and biohacking, yes…

Books are like portals of ancient wisdom. Over millennia, people have logged their thoughts and experiences, leaving us golden nuggets of knowledge and actionable insights on how to achieve breakthroughs. 

The trick is to read and then take action. Then re-read and take action again.

Take this epic gem from the Greek stoic philosopher, Epictetus.

What is your life other than the thoughts and feelings you experience? If you do not take charge of what enters your mind, someone else will. And guess what?

They don’t give a fuck about you.

Epictetus’s repertoire of hard-hitting lessons is just as powerful today as it was thousands of years ago.

The mind and body are constantly seeking the path of least resistance; it is easy to slide into hours a day of doom scrolling and circle jerking on Instagram, Facebook, and the latest “gentleman’s websites.”

These platforms are lethally effective at lulling you into a hypnotic zombie-like state of mind. They are also phenomenal marketing tools designed to turn you into a dopamine-addicted fool.

Epictetus, on the other hand, spits continuous fire.

“Clear thinking and self-importance cannot logically coexist.”

“Conceit is an iron gate that admits no knew knowledge, no expansive possibilities, nor constructive ideas.”

“To do anything well you must have the humility to bumble around a bit, to follow your nose, to get lost, to goof. Have the courage to try an undertaking and possibly do it poorly.”

Facing Fears Book #1: Epictetus

How could Epictetus not make the ultimate list of game-changing books?

He became a legend despite being born a slave.

The Art of Living by Epictetus will give you a rock-solid foundation for facing your fears like a titan and attaining hardcore success.

The Secrets of War: Why Letting Go of Fear Requires Nerd Warrior Mentality

We all have dreams and ambitions we want turn into reality. Why do only a few attain them?

We are wired to pursue the easiest possible route to happiness. The problem is the short and easy path leads to comfort in the short term but emptiness in the long term.

People are terrified of looking stupid, being judged, mocked, ridiculed, rejected, etc. They want guarantees and security.

Taking the path of most growth — making the hard decisions that are frightening to act upon — will produce pain and discomfort in the short-term but meteoric gains in the long-term.

How to Reach Your Highest: 3 Rules for Effectively Letting Go of Fear

Facing Fears Is Easiest When Broken Down into Simple Steps

Loneliness, horniness, hunger, thirst, distraction…

Your brain uses smokescreens to make you forget about your desire to overcome fear.

Like viruses, fears seek to obscure themselves and fly under the radar. They slither deep into your subconscious and affect every system, decision, and action without being detected.

They taint your outlook and perspective, sabotaging opportunities for growth and experience.

You have no clue what you can accomplish with the right mindset and perspective.

But most will quit before the tectonic shift occurs, not knowing they were inches away from striking gold.

Facing Fears Book #2: Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius was a student of Epictetus who became emperor of Rome and the most powerful man in the world.

Despite staggering levels of wealth, power, and prestige, Marcus wrote about the daily struggles of being human. He felt distracted by many things, drawn away from his required tasks, and susceptible to many drawbacks of ordinary life. 

As a stoic, he practiced the art of minimalism, training his brain to minimize the effect of the ups and downs of life. 

“Does what’s happened keep you from acting with justice, generosity, self-control, sanity, prudence, honesty, humility, straightforwardness, and all other qualities that allow a person’s nature to fulfill itself? So, remember this principle when something threatens to cause you pain: the thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune.”

— Marcus Aurelius

This badass diary highlights the fact that we are all human. No matter how high someone has flown and how lofty their accomplishments are, they were and are just like you.

You will reach a higher plateau when you stop being a follower. 

Meditations — a masterclass on perspective and a blueprint for facing fears — provides tremendous insights into the following:

1) It is human to have struggles and fears. 

2) The path to success is simple, despite mainstream customs and ideas to the contrary.

3) You can systematically destroy your limitations and attain peace. 

Do You Ever Wonder What Life Was Like in a Nazi Concentration Camp?

Victor Frankl was an Austrian Psychiatrist who lost everything during the holocaust, including his wife and the entire manuscript of his work and research.

Like countless others, he began the year 1942 as a distinguished professional but ended up just another emaciated prisoner who did not know if he would ever be free again.

Facing Fears Book #3: Victor Frankl

Frankl recounts business tycoons, professionals, and successful people from all walks of life suddenly reduced to living like animals.

He takes you through his Nazi camp experiences, from seeing people give up on life and dying shortly after to being degraded and insulted in the most demeaning ways imaginable.

Picture waking up cold, tired, sick, and starving every morning, knowing they could blow your head off any moment. How about seeking a brief rest after months of severely taxing work only to be treated like a cockroach?

Here is an exchange between an SS and Frankl from his book:

You pig, I have been watching you the whole time! I’ll teach you to work, yet! Wait till you dig dirt with your teeth – you’ll die like an animal! In two days I’ll finish you off! You’ve never done a stroke of work in your life. What were you, swine? A businessman?”

Nazi camp prisoners were subject to unfathomable cruelties. Most lost their lives, livelihoods, and families. They were starved, sleep deprived, and forced to work in grueling conditions.

Prisoners walked barefoot in the snow, slept cramped up with 7 + people on a tiny slab, and lived on a tiny morsel of bread a day.

Remember this next time you think you are too tired to wake up at 5 AM.

Frankl believed striving for a worthwhile purpose provided the impetus to overcome any challenge and attain any goal.

He theorized that anything was bearable and achievable, given a strong enough meaning behind the endeavor. On the other hand, any undertaking that lacked purpose, no matter how comfortable, would end in despair.

So, he survived the brutality by thinking about his wife and keeping the hope of re-writing the manuscript of his psychological research (and, of course, a little bit of luck).

The victory of the allied forces enabled his release from camp, and he began work on his psychological theory, logotherapy, which states that people do not need a tensionless state to reach satisfaction but rather a worthwhile reason to struggle after.

His book is called Man’s Search for Meaning.

It is a real-life tail of turning misfortune, loss, and suffering into mental and spiritual superpowers.

Facing Fears Book #4: B-O-O-H

The art of facing fears, shattering them into a million pieces, setting them aflame, then pissing on the ashes includes elements of nerdiness.

Breaking Out of Homeostasis is a revolutionary, little-known book that details the biological mechanisms our fears employ to hold us back.

There is a science to conquering fears and a code to achieving beast mode that few ever crack.

You don’t overcome fear in a moment of monumental courage. It is done gradually, with precision and perseverance.

BOOH provides actionable strategies for embracing discomfort like a warrior and systematically become fearless.

Implement the tactics in this book and you will fly higher than you ever imagined possible.

Facing Fears Must-Read #5: Unstoppable.Me

How Letting Go of Fear While Climbing Against All Odds Will Make Life Amazing

If you are the kind of person that needs proof, read Jon Morrow’s mind-blowing life story.

Spoiler alert: confined to a wheelchair and unable to move anything but his face, this savage stud started a business, became a multi-millionaire, and slept with 15 girls in one month.

Jon is a living testament to the futility and fraudulent nature of excuses.

He is also the ultimate example of why you need to repeatedly question your biases, assumptions, and limitations.

Don’t think you are enough for her? Approach her anyway.

 

Too tired for one more rep? Do three more with rest in between. 

 

Don’t think you are ready for the job? Apply for it anyway.

 

Too tired to keep focusing? Hang in there for 15 more minutes.

Test your fears, limits, and assumptions daily.

Don’t wait for high intensity situations – create them for yourself by doing awkward shit that feels weird and unnerving.

Forget everything you learned from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, social media, movies and popular culture.

Read the books above, then implement the high-octane lessons into your life.

Read Jon Morrow’s stunning life story followed by Ludvig Sundstrom’s unconventional fear-conquering strategies in BOOH.

Victor Frankl will show you how to transform sorrow and bad luck into victory. Marcus Aurelius will show you how to keep things in perspective no matter what happens. Epictetus is a masterful teacher of morals and principles.