DISCLAIMER:
I went to Marine Corps boot camp with this guy! Me and Akshay became fast friends in boot camp, fitting in conversations about the meaning of life in-between being smoked on the quarter deck for this or that. We lost touch as life moved on, but our mutual self interest always kept him in the back of my mind. Lo and behold! This crazy dude as gone on to scale mountains and trek across frozen wastelands, while I live a quite life with my family in small town Wisconsin! What a world.
REVIEW:
I didn't know what to expect when I began this book. As soon as I knew my old bootcamp buddy had written one, I certainly felt obligated to read it, but would I enjoy it? As soon as I realized that it was going to be discussing areas of interest for me, such as neuroscience and mindfulness, I was relieved! At least I wouldn't be bored. Had I found Akshay to be a subpar writer, or his work mediocre, I assumed I would identify what I liked about it, offer some constructive criticism, and move on. I really had no intuition for what a book by Akshay would read like. As I began and continued to read, I was pleasently surprised to find his book to be a real gem, and very clever! At a brief 200 pages, Akshay condenses an entire lit review of current neuroscience, mixes in his own lived experience and that of world famous athletes, thrill seekers and adversity-overcomers, adds a dash of spiritual introspection, and weaponizes it into a quasi-algorithmic method for harnessing human potential.
The book is largely divided in two sections. The first half reviews, in laymen terms, the scientific literature on human consciousness, and how we believe it works. The second half begins to channel these various findings of the scientific community, along with insights from his (totally wild) personal experience and those of others, into a step-by-step method on how to make these findings work for you in accomplishing your goals. Throughout, he offers introspective training exercises to help you engage with the material and eventually prime you for putting his method into practice. Very helpful!
The crux of his research suggests that the space between work (suffering towards a goal) and joy (transcendent achievement) is the optimal mode of being by which you can tap into your potential. He terms this zone "Fearvana." Fearvana, as a text, reveals itself to be a series of mental exercises and actionable suggestions which can help transform fear (when facing past or future adversity) into a powerful ally for personal development. Akshay invites readers to understand (accurately) that fear is merely the physiological response you embody when you experience profound adversity, but that this physiological response can be utilized as fuel to push you forward, not freeze you in your tracks.
By leaning into the neurological mechanisms that human beings have evolved for our survival, we can harness our natural fear response and work with it like the extremely powerful tool it was designed to be. As it turns out, the physiological reactions we experience when we encounter fearful challenges are actually a chemical superweapon! With proper preparation and honest assessment, you can orchestrate safe opportunities to trigger this physiology, and when it occurs, manipulate it into providing lasting personal growth or specific goal accomplishment. It turns out the physiology of overcoming adversity is literally addictive, and you can, in the most technical sense, addict yourself to achieving goals and your mind and body will actually work with you in order to accomplish them. Sounds pretty great, right?
I have a minor in psychology with my history/political science degree, and am an avid armchair philosopher/metaphysician. A lot of my interests overlap with spiritual growth and mental development. I recognized much of the scientific literature that he references throughout the first half of the book from both school and personal research. What impressed me the most is how well Akshay took all this stuff I've heard from a bunch random sources and organized it into a clear summary of how we can actually engage with our own brain development. What once was a mass of random trivia about the brain has suddenly become a practical- almost step-by-step- guide for me. We can take the wheel, so to speak, as opposed to being a passenger of our thoughts and intuitions. It's one thing to have learned this in abstract, its another thing to be given a training manual on how to do it.
Once you have faith that you are not defined by your thoughts, you can begin to practice working with your thoughts, and strategizing your life in such a way as to control your mind, and of course, by extension your actions. Once you have learned to manipulate your own brain, you can enCOURAGE yourself into approaching new adversity, utilizing the fear that arises from this adversity, and channeling its physiological components into a continuous cycle of growth. What that growth is depends entirely upon your goals! Who do you want to be and what do you want to do?
I’m excited to begin to utilize the techniques Akshay outlines. I also have close acquaintances that suffer from anxiety that I am EXTREMELY excited to give this book to. I think this could change their life. For those, like me, who live a pretty sheltered, unfearful existence, this book feels like a call to consider what a life with a little more fear could provide. What personal accomplishments have I put off from fear of failure and simply never returned to? Everyone has an example of something if they dig a little.
What Akshay is very good at is giving the reader a sense that their mind, their future, and their goals are an adventure to begin and a playground to explore. By the time I finished, I felt curious and optimistic regarding my own potential. Perhaps I’ve been more asleep than I realized, and frankly, I didn’t think I was the kind of guy that was all that much asleep. As a Christian on a path of repentance, I think that the tools Akshay writes about are incredibly practical for our day to day struggles, regardless of what they are, secular or otherwise.
I salute this wonderful, helpful and concise work!
OR
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About the author
Turn Pain and Fear into Bliss, Health, Wealth, and Happiness!
Akshay Nanavati has created a book for us to realize anxiety, fear, and stress are not our enemies. But can be used to serve as our greatest allies. He has gone through many struggles from alcoholism, drug addiction, a blood disorder, and being diagnosed with PTSD, all while serving for our country as a respected Marine. A struggle that is worthy to take you from simply existing to truly living. A worthy struggle is something that is challenging, and you will suffer. But as long as you are willing to endure it you will evolve in something greater and stronger. After you struggle then passion will come. Passion is the result, not the starting point. In this book, he will give you all the tools you need to win your battles and succeed. Also, show you how to find bliss in pain. If you are ready to turn your pain into indestructible power, start reading this today.
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