Where we end up in life is determined by what we do as much as what we dare not do.

I was around 12 or 13 when we went on a family trip across Mozambique. One of the stops was a beautiful island called Santa Carolina. It was pristine, with crystal clear waters and astoundingly beautiful underwater life.

We took a small puddle hopper plane to get to the island, and on the way there, still quite a ways from the island, we spotted a dark figure in the water. We asked and the pilot explained it was João, a Mozambican, in his 30s, who made a living by spearfishing lobster and fish for the hotel. He had no boat, his gear was worn, and he spent hours daily in open waters, simply tying his prey to a buoy before hauling it ashore.

We became friends with João and spent long hours snorkeling and spearfishing around the island with him as our guide and teacher.

We asked him, as you do, about the sharks. Apparently there were many in these waters and he found them annoying for a reason that surprised us. He told us, that sharks need a constant current of water flowing through their gills to live, so they sleep under rocks where currents provide the necessary flow. Lobsters also live under the same rocks and sharks block access to the lobsters.

- What do you do? - we asked.

- I just wake them up - he answered.

- What? How?

- Oh, I just shake them by their fins, the startle and swim away. Then I get the lobsters. He said this matter of factly.

This conversation made a profound impression on me as a young boy and taught me something invaluable about overcoming perceived danger. I haven’t been terrified of sharks since then, although I do get nervous if I see one in the water.

Fear is a natural response if you see a shark in the water. You are painfully aware you are not in your natural environment and are at a significant disadvantage, should things go south. The reality is, sharks rarely attack humans. So the fear is real, but the danger isn’t.

I find this principle to be invaluable with most things in life worth pursuing. Every once in a while, if you really want to get to what you want, waking the sharks is the only way. It always feels more risky than it actually is. The trick is overriding this irrational fear that comes naturally whenever you venture out of the safety zone of the familiar.

Once you’ve done it a few times, the fear goes away. Rinse and repeat.