Fear Is a Liar-Here’s How to Fight Back

August 24, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes)

You Don’t Need to Be Fearless – Just Faithful

Obsidian sky. No moon. No stars. Just a tiny, floating city a thousand miles from land—and me, a brand-new F-14 pilot, trying to land on it.

After seven failed attempts to catch a wire, I was running out of fuel—and time. The tanker was dry. My heart was pounding. My backseater, callsign “AWOL”, broke the tense silence:

“EJECTION.”

That one word hit me like a shot of adrenaline. I turned downwind to take one more shot before the unthinkable. Somehow, through trembling hands and cracked confidence, I fought back the fear and caught a wire on the eighth try.

The memory is so real, it feels like last night. What do you do when everything you’ve trained for seems to be failing you? When fear grips your gut and won’t let go?

You fight.

You keep moving forward.

And you lean into the calm voices who remind you that you can do this.

For me, it was the Landing Signal Officer—Paddles—with a deep, soothing voice over the radio:

“Come on down. It’s fine down here. I’ll get you aboard and we’ll go have a slider.”

That voice was my lifeline. That voice is what leaders sound like when everything goes sideways.

So here’s what I’ve learned when fear hits:

Leadership matters. The calm encouragement of Paddles kept me from freezing.
Teamwork matters. The whole ship was waiting on me. I couldn’t let them down.
Training matters. I didn’t feel ready—but my training said otherwise.
Necessity matters. When you’re low on fuel, you act. Now.
Belief matters. When confidence cracks, belief keeps you pushing.
Pride matters. I wasn’t about to let fear define me.
Persistence wins. I refused to quit. And that made all the difference.

Fear is all in your head, but it is real. So is your ability to push through it.

Whether you’re flying an F-14 at night or navigating your own high-stakes challenge, the formula is the same:

Fight the fear. Keep moving forward.

You can catch the wire too.

Explore Resources:

P.S.

If this message stirred something in you—share it. Forward it to a friend, colleague, or your leadership team. Better yet—let’s talk.

Let’s raise up a generation of leaders who know how to Lead to Win.

Mike Manazir
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Author of Learn How to Lead to Win

Take Action

Mike’s Leadership Forum

Do you have a comment or question to make on today’s blog?
Do you have a leadership issue you would like us to process in a future blog?
Do you need a speaker for an upcoming leadership event?
Click CONTACT for comments.