Springboard Into Your Fearless Year

As we enter a new year, many of us will make resolutions focused on reducing stress—more yoga, better boundaries, finally finding balance. But what if the key to your best year isn't eliminating stress, but springboarding from it?

Research shows that people with the most meaningful lives report more stress, not less. The energy you're spending trying to calm down, avoid difficulty or play it safe? That's the exact energy you need to launch into your biggest goals. Your racing heart isn't betrayal—it's preparation. Your nervous system is loading the spring that will propel you forward.

Here's the truth: you can't control whether stress finds you, but you can control what you do with it. Instead of three minutes of screaming terror followed by retreat, try the FEAR[less] approach. First, acknowledge this isn't a tiger (it won't literally kill you in the next three minutes). Second, transfer that anxious energy into excitement—your body can't tell the difference, so how can you make this an adventure rather than an ordeal? Finally, set your trajectory towards the stressor: what's the smallest step forward you can bravely take?

The cost of inaction—of playing it safe, of waiting for life to calm down—is always greater than the cost of taking that imperfect step. This year, stop asking "What if I fail?" and start asking "What if I don't try?"

Make this your fear(less) year. Not by avoiding stress, but by using it as your springboard toward meaning, purpose and your best year yet.