Here Be Dragons: How To Overcome Fear, Slay Your Inner Demons, and Boost Confidence in 2025

You know that old map phrase, "Here be dragons"? Ancient mariners slapped it on the edges of the known world, marking the spots where mystery turned to menace.

No one ventured there. Too risky.

Too unknown.

But here's the truth: those dragons weren't just out there in the fog—they're in here, coiled deep in your gut. Your deepest fears. The ones you skirt around, pretending they're not breathing fire on your dreams.

I've stared down a few in my time. I walked away from corporate burnout, hit the road for a world wander, and built Rugged Human from the ashes.

It wasn't pretty. Fears of failure, of being exposed as a fraud, of losing it all—they roared loud. But facing them?

That's where the real treasure lies.

As Rainer Maria Rilke put it,

Our deepest fears are like dragons guarding our deepest treasure. —Rilke

What if those beasts aren't enemies, but guardians? What if slaying them—or hell, befriending them—unlocks the life you're meant for?

This isn't some feel-good pep talk. It's a gritty reckoning. We'll dive into the shadows, unpack why we hide from our fears, share a story from the trenches, and back it with science on how your brain rewires when you confront the chaos.

By the end, you'll see a path forward—one that turns fear into fuel. And yeah, I'll touch on tools like my Habit Switch method and the Blueprint to Balance course, not to sell you, but because they've pulled me and others through the fire.

Ready to step into the unknown?

The Dragons We Don't Name

Think about it: what's your dragon?

That nagging voice saying you're not enough? The fear of rejection that keeps you from chasing a new career?

Or the deep one—the terror that if you dig too far, you'll find nothing worth saving?

We all have them. They're the fears we bury under busywork, Netflix binges, or that extra beer. But ignoring them doesn't make them vanish. It makes them grow, silent and sharp.

Ernest Hemingway knew this dance.

"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places." —Hemingway

Hemingway wasn't one for bullshit. He faced wars, bulls, and his own demons head-on, pen in hand.

His stories are raw because he didn't flinch from the ugly. That's the rugged truth: fears aren't roadblocks; they're signposts. They point to what's fragile, what's valuable. Avoid them, and you stay small.

Face them, and you rebuild stronger.

But why do we run? Science says it's wired in. Your amygdala—the brain's fear center—lights up like a bonfire at threats, real or imagined. It's evolution's gift: spot the saber-tooth tiger, survive.

Today, though?

It's spotting vulnerability and screaming "retreat." The prefrontal cortex, your rational captain, gets drowned out. Result? You stay stuck, looping old patterns, wondering why change feels impossible.

Here's where it gets interesting. Facing fears isn't about brute force. It's about curiosity. Ask: What if this fear is protecting something precious? A dream you shelved? A strength you forgot?

That's the shift—from enemy to ally. And when you link that insight to action, magic happens. More on that soon.

A Story of Overcoming Fear From The Edge

Let me tell you about Mike. (Name’s changed, but the grit’s real.) Mike was a childhood buddy, raised in the same rough patch I was—hard families, harder times.

We clawed through poverty, dreaming of better. He made it out, got married, settled down. But in his late 40s, a stroke hit. Flatlined twice in the ER. Three minutes gone.

Wherever he went in those moments, it changed him. “I didn’t want to be who I was yesterday,” he told me. “I didn’t want to be the life before my second chance.”

When we reconnected, he was haunted. “I was gone for three minutes,” he said. “I started looking into Rugged Human, started learning from it, cause all I was doing was living in my past and going nowhere.”

His dragon: fear of being stuck forever.

We started small: name the fear. He journaled, raw and messy. That fear of being trapped? It hid a hunger for impact. Facing it was brutal—doubt, pain, all of it.

But we built a system: spot the weakness (clinging to the past), face it (daily micro habits, like sharing one positive post online), systematize with a meta habit (tie it to “I’m here to inspire”).

Now?

He's a beacon—an influencer spreading positivity, lifting others with his story. Not a millionaire, but alive.

Hemingway nailed it: real courage is grace under pressure.

Mike found grace in the grind.

You can too.

The Science of Slaying Dragons

Now, the brain stuff. Facing fears rewires you—literally. Neuroplasticity: your brain's ability to form new pathways. Start by linking purpose to action.

That engages your prefrontal cortex and dorsomedial striatum—goal-directed zones. You're not just acting; you're tying it to why it matters. Emotion kicks in via the limbic system—amygdala for fear, but dopamine for reward.

Feel that purpose?

It's emotional glue, making change stick.

Repeat the action? "Neurons that fire together wire together." Repetition strengthens connections, shifting control to the basal ganglia's dorsolateral striatum—automatic habit land.

What started as effortful becomes effortless. Science calls this dual pathways: goal-directed (purpose-driven) and habitual (auto-pilot). Leverage both, and change accelerates.

A 2023 study in Nature Neuroscience backs it: purposeful repetition builds robust habits faster, with less relapse. Emotion amps it—dopamine surges reinforce the loop.

Remember, you’re not broken; you’re only bent, like everyone, and can grow stronger.

My system in Blueprint to Balance starts here: Part one? Uncover weaknesses (fears), confront them, systematize (link to purpose, repeat via micro-actions). It's not therapy—it's a roadmap. You use it to face dragons, emerge stronger.

Taming the Beast: Your Path Forward

So, how do you start overcoming fear? Simple: map your dragons.

Grab a notebook. Ask: What's scaring me most? Why? Then, link it to purpose. Fear of failure? Tie it to "building a legacy for my kids." Act: one small step daily. Repeat. Feel the shift.

Tools help.

My book The Habit Switch—micro moves, mega change—rewires those pathways. It's all in there, free for now. For deeper dives, Blueprint to Balance guides manifesting through visualization, starting with that fear-facing system. (Note: this is a beta video course for readers ONLY and gives you an automatic 90% discount.)

Not pushing—just sharing what's worked for me and others.

Contemplate this: Dragons guard treasure. Face yours, and you claim it. As Rilke said, they're not barriers—they're invitations.

Hemingway would nod: get broken, get strong.

What dragon calls you today? Step toward it. The world's waiting.

Keep Exploring the Unknown

This dive into dragons is just the start. Next week in the newsletter, we'll unpack turning pain into purpose.

Want more raw insights?

Join the Rugged Human Newsletter for weekly deep dives into living fearlessly, plus exclusive tips you’ll only get in our Saturday morning email announcing the latest blog post.

Grab a free copy of The Habit Switch—it's got starters for facing fears.

You're built for this. Rise.

Until Next time,

Jerod