Hey Reader,
You know that little spark of nerves you feel when you’re about to do something big?
You’d think after years of winning, the nerves would go away.
But they don’t.
Most people mistake this sensation as fear, but it’s far from that.
You just have to learn to work with it.
In today’s newsletter, we’ll discuss how you can turn nerves into your most powerful ally.
💢 I had trained for it. And still, I was scared.
I was thinking about this the other day, as I gear up for Leadville again this August.
For context, Leadville is one of those races where everything, and I mean everything, hurts.
A 100-mile race. After 25 miles, you’re still a quarter of the way through, and the real pain hasn’t even begun.
And honestly, as I sit here preparing, the nerves hit me.
I remember at about 3 am on the day of my race last year, I was standing in the dark and cold, feeling unsure all of a sudden.
I thought, “Do I really want to do this? Could I just… not start?”
It was tempting to avoid it, but I pushed through.
I told myself, “This is normal. This is me stepping into greatness. I’ve earned this, I’ve trained for this, and I’m not backing down.”
I realized those nerves weren’t a sign of weakness. They just meant I cared.
And when the nerves showed up again as I’m preparing for this year, I’m not trying to fight them.
That’s what I want. I need it to hurt earlier. That’s the whole goal in a way.
🧠 Nervous doesn’t mean something’s wrong…
Most people try to avoid the nerves, to push them away.
But you can’t avoid what’s part of the process.
I get it.
It feels uncomfortable.
Your brain easily triggers the “something is off” feeling.
And the temptation is strong to find something…anything to escape the discomfort.
So you try to control the outcome, overprepare, or even procrastinate to avoid facing it head-on.
But the more you resist, the bigger the problem becomes.
Anxiety tells you to play it safe, to avoid any chance of failure.
And if you’re not careful, you’ll spiral into self-doubt and fear of leaving your comfort zone.
But no, it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you.
It means you are human.
We all have nerves. The greats have nerves as well.
Elite swimmers still get anxious before races.
Top speakers still feel the shake in their chest.
World-class leaders still wake up with nerves before a big call.
They just get better at not treating nerves like the problem they have to solve.
How you respond is the real problem.
❤️ The reframe that changes everything
The worst way to make anxiety go away is by trying really hard to make anxiety go away.
The key to a good and rich intellectual life is facing your fears and learning how to take them along for the ride.
When you see nerves as excitement or as a sign that you’re ready, fear loses its power over you.
Your training takes over, and you start to feel better.
You stop interpreting the anxiety as weakness.
You realize its readiness to achieve something bigger, so much that it makes your heart skip in excitement.
You show up stronger.
You get clearer on your decisions because you’re not clouded by fear.
You’re not doubting yourself.
You trust the process and you trust your preparation.
And your body is simply catching up to the moment.
It’s not easy, but it’s doable.
🤲 So, how do you work with nerves?
It’s really hard to calm this nervous sensation when it shows up.
Here are simple practices that can help you work with it for a happier life:
- Instead of thinking, “I don’t think I’m ready for this”, start thinking, “I get to do this. This moment is mine to take, and I’m ready for it.”
- Instead of thinking, “I need to get this just right,” start thinking, “I get to test this, to see what works, to learn from it, until I become a master at this.”
- Instead of thinking, “I have to do this,” start thinking, “I get to do this. This is what I built myself for.” “This is an opportunity and a privilege to get to do this.”
- Instead of thinking, “Something’s off,” start thinking, “This is me stepping up, because I care.” “These nerves mean I’m playing on my edge. This is where growth happens.”
Honestly, that’s just it.
It all comes down to getting comfortable saying, “This is what’s happening. I don’t need to like it, but I need to accept it”.
That acceptance makes you see things clearly and embrace your nerves.
🎯 The nerve to embrace nerves
What would happen if you stopped waiting to feel “ready,” and started trusting your preparation?
Greatness is found in your ability to move when you’re nervous.
To breathe through the tension and keep walking.
To feel the fear and know it’s part of the process.
Once you accept that, you can do whatever you want to do.
You’ve faced adversity before, and you’re still standing.
In the words of Sharon Salzberg, “Success is not the absence of anxiety, but the ability to act in spite of it.”
You’ve got this.
With appreciation,
Huw
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Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
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