EP 20: Jesse Sommer – Contracting Coronavirus in Afghanistan, Engaging with Fear, and A Different Approach to Personal Growth

Sep 10, 2020

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Fear: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.

Fear is a pretty common human experience. Yes, it keeps us safe but it also keeps us from doing things that could have a positive impact on our lives, too.

Think about, for example, taking bold steps towards a business goal. Maybe you want to appear on 10 podcasts this quarter. But, the first step is to actually put yourself out there and open yourself up to rejection.

That’s where many people stop—they’re afraid that the no’s will cause them pain and therefore they’d rather avoid it altogether.

But sometimes facing the fear, knowing that you can do hard things, is the best way to grow into the person who might not fear that thing again in the future.

Take it from my friend, Captain Jesse Sommer, who will share some of the ways he’s overcome fear through his experience in the U.S. Army. Jesse is a command judge advocate and Paratrooper who just returned from another tour in Afghanistan where he contracted COVID so we are happy to have him back state-side, safe and sound.

Jesse’s also a JD/MBA and small business owner and, as you’ll hear, a bit of an accolade whore with a 20-year life-plan unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else.

Tune into this episode to hear:

A different approach to personal growth than the one we usually talk about here—hint: it involves jumping out of planes in the dark with a parachute that may or may not open
How true leaders understand their responsibility for those under their command
The benefits of having a crystal clear life goal
and how Jesse’s inspires him to jump out of bed each morning even when he’s purposefully being starved and sleep-deprived during various Army trainings

Learn more about Jesse Sommer:

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