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100 Days Without Fear

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(CNN) – From the time she was a little girl, Michelle Poler was afraid of the world. She avoided big, playful dogs, scared they might bite her. Terrified of pain, she dreaded doctor's appointments. She missed dinner parties that required her to drive at night.

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Michelle

New York City is definitely not for the fearful. After moving here I realized I needed to do something about it. So in efforts to become a braver person I embarked on a project where I faced 100 fears in 100 days. What I didn't expect was to inspire thousands along the way. 

I'm now super fortunate to have the opportunity to travel the world speaking at schools, companies and organizations on how to embrace the unknown and live a life beyond the comfort zone. 

If it’s not at an airport, you can also find me on YouTube posting weekly videos or uploading stories of courage from everyday people to HelloFears.com. Check it out!

Featured
Day 100: Inspire others at TEDxHouston
Day 100: Inspire others at TEDxHouston
Day 96: Age
Day 96: Age
Day 89: Stand Up
Day 89: Stand Up
Day 85: Surf
Day 85: Surf
Day 80: Teach
Day 80: Teach
Day 78: Paint
Day 78: Paint
Day 77: Pose
Day 77: Pose
Day 72: Embrace
Day 72: Embrace
Day 65: Jump
Day 65: Jump
Day 59: Quit
Day 59: Quit

Click here to see the full list of fears

Day 36: Curry on

May 13, 2015

What's the challenge?

To try a new kind of food.

What are you afraid of?

I'm afraid of the unkown.

How was the experience?

I went by myself to this Indian chain (Indikitch) near my office even though a couple of people already told me not to go since they thought it was pretty spicy. I decided not to listen and judge it myself. I didn't know what to order, so I just told the waiter to give me whatever as long as it wasn't spicy. I first tried the red lemonade with mint leaves and it was delicious. Then, I tried the bowl of rice and chicken that was even more delicious and to finish up, I tried "naan," their kind of pita bread with garlic and it was out of this world. I think I love Indian food now. 

← Day 37: Be proudDay 35: Present →

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Thank you!

Why Fear?

A couple of reasons I wrote just to remind myself why am I doing this:

  • Fear keeps me from enjoying life

  • Fear will keep me from achieving success

  • I want to live courageously

  • Life starts at the end of your comfort zone

  • What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

  • NYC is not made for the fearful

  • Fear just doesn't make sense

  • If I don't do it now, then, when?

Instagram: @100dayswithoutfear

My favorite part about the @isagenix event was what happened right AFTER I finished my speech and went backstage 👇🏼 . As the sound guy was removing my mic, the event planner, asked “Michelle, you have a *little* fan that wants to meet you. Is it ok if I bring her to you?” I looked at her like: I have no idea what you mean by “little fan”, but I guess so 🤔! . 20 seconds later this 4-year old girl approached me to give me a drawing she did of me standing below a 🌈 (Swipe ➡️ to see). But this was NOT the best part 😬 . Right after she gave me her drawing, she said: “You know? I was very brave to come back here. I was scared to do it. But your message inspired me, so I asked my mom to bring me backstage. Thank you for your speech. I will continue to be brave.” . 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱 . There is nothing little about this girl (except for her height). Her courage, her personality, and her heart are the biggest I’ve seen. And I can’t wait to one day be able to teach bravery to my own kids ♥️ . What is one lesson on courage you think every kid has to know? ⤵️ #courage #inspiration #brave
It was about time for me to launch my own *newsletter* 😍👏🏼♥️ . I called it “unapologetically, me” because I’ve been afraid to do this for the longest time. I was afraid to bother you with my content 🙈 #iknowiknow . So I’m doing this, and I will try to be 100% #unapologetic about it! 👊🏼💥 . If you want to join and receive exclusive content and recommendations sign up at michellepoler.com/newsletter 😚🙌🏼 . Any ideas to make this experience even MORE awesome??? 👇🏼 . Expect my first email this Thursday 🙏🏼⚡️ #boom
“Michelle, you make it look so easy.” . That is something I heard the other day after one of my presentations. My answer was: . “I don’t make it *look* easy. It is easy. Once you accept who you are and stop fighting to be something else — something you’re not. Once you accept your imperfections and decide to work with what you’ve got, things get easier, and YOU will be happier.” . You don’t have to be MORE creative, MORE social, know MORE or do MORE. What if you ARE enough? What if what you’ve got is already good? . The only thing I want to challenge you to be MORE of, is yourself. Be more yourself and be OK with that. Would you like that? 🙏🏼♥️ #selfacceptance #selflove . Loved this illustration by @abbiepaulhus ✨🙌🏼😚
The time I play ping pong against the Jacobs brothers and almost lost 🙌🏼 (Swipe ➡️) . Nothing like celebrating such challenge by running around the @lifeisgoodco office holding my flag 🇻🇪 and teaching these brothers how to dance #reggaeton ⚡️👊🏼 . To wrap up this awesome day, we recorded a ping-podcast where they asked me all sorts of inspiring — and random — questions 😂 . Go to my story to listen to the episode or find the “Life Is Good Ping Podcast” on iTunes! #somethinggood #lifeisgood #hellofears
Commitment: a word that scares so many. A concept that *almost* belongs to the past 👇🏼🤔 . People used to commit to their jobs for 20, 30 or even 40 years. People used to say “till death do us part” — and mean it. People used to buy homes and live forever in one place. What used to be “comfortable” for our grandparents and our parents, for us is hella scary. This generation is all about FREEDOM ⬇️ . I even learned not too long ago, at the SVA Thesis presentations, that this year we are hitting an all times low in babies being born in the US — never in the history of this country so few babies were being born!! All because of our freedom 🤯 We are the #nostringsattached generation. . BUT, if we want to make something happen, we’ve learned that the KEY WORD is “commitment” — I experienced it the day I finished my 100-day project and my life was completely changed by the end of it. . I experienced it again this year when I finished writing my book (after 9 months of ONLY committing to this project). And now, 20 episodes later, I’m experiencing it again by seeing the results of our podcast 🙌🏼✨ . Things take time. And the harder things get, the easier it is to quit and to get excited about a *new* project and leave the one we had half way through. . This is a reminder (o a sign) for you to keep working on that project that you are now building. You were not supposed to see results just yet, but if you give up now on it, for sure you never will #keephustling Drop a ♥️ if you agree. . . . #courageis #commitment #hellofears #inspirationalquotes #courage #fear #entrepreneur #sidehustle
So, I’m going to be real with you and share the things others wouldn’t. If you’d like that, keep reading ⬇️ . Ok: If you’ve been watching my @michellepoler stories lately you know that we just spent a wonderful weekend in Arizona — all expenses covered (hotel and tours). And I’m sure some of you wondered “how?” 🤔 . Many of you simply assumed that things come *easy* to some of us. Not the case. . We did NOT get those free things simply because I have a following or I’ve built a name for myself, but because we went and grabbed them! 👇🏼 . We literally reached out to a few of the best hotels in town to propose a collaboration and who knew, they were all onboard 🤯😱! . We were shocked once again to see the power in just asking or going for the things we want 🙋🏼‍♀, instead of assuming people would say “no.” . This is a reminder for YOU to be more intentional and proactive in going after the things you want the most. Don’t settle with imaginary outcomes. Gather the courage and the CREATIVITY to defy expectations/beliefs and at least try, because if you don’t the answer will automatically be “No.” . To learn more about this simple and yet SO powerful concept follow my friend @garyvee (not really my friend — yet 🙄) and read his book “Crushing It” 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼 His #GoAndGrabIt concept changed my perspective and opened a world of possibilities ✨ #garyvee . Dare to demand more. . Drop a 👊🏼 if you accept this #MondayChallenge ⬇️ — and if you’d like me to continue sharing what *actually* happens behind the scenes ✨ . . . Original image posted by @thepouf — follow her asap! 👏🏼👏🏼 #courage #hellofears #realAF #realisrare #truthbomb #transparency #honesty #courageis
Excited to announce that I renewed my partnership with 👆🏼 @lifeisgoodco 😱♥️👏🏼 . As you know, I don’t work with many brands. I never use this account to push products or advertise. I try to keep my feed 100% true to the Hello Fears values and mission. . Life Is Good has been an incredible partner to work with because the ONLY thing they ask me to promote is #POSITIVITY and #OPTIMISM — two things I already promote ✨ . So... if you value this awesome partnership as much as I do, comment below👇🏼 “ @lifeisgoodco because _______________ “ and I will choose one person to receive a box full of Life Is Good t-shirts 😀🔥! You just have to choose one thing that makes life good! . . . This is #notanAD — it’s MY way to celebrate this partnership 🥳
The day I realized I was comfortable I started looking for my happiness. The good news? I found it ✨ (Swipe 👉🏼) . Being comfortable means: ☁️ Doing things just because we’re supposed to ☁️ Quieting our inner desires to avoid failure/rejection/criticism ☁️ Underestimating time and overestimating money (only one of these you can get back if you work hard enough) ☁️ Fulfilling others expectations instead of questioning your own ☁️ Making decisions based on excuses/fear/safety ☁️ Blaming others (including G-d) for your circumstances as a way to victimize yourself — instead of taking control of your life and working with what you’ve got ☁️ Thinking you’ll be happier WHEN... and not doing anything about it ☁️ Feeling helpless instead of looking for help ☁️ Dreaming instead of DOING 👊🏼 . So, are you willing to get uncomfortable to find your happiness? Or would you rather just stay comfy? ⬇️ . Happiness is a personal choice, so don’t consult it with anybody — but yourself 🙏🏼 The moment your life stops being about pleasing others, you will make space to please yourself ♥️ . So... which one is it: A, B, C or... D: None of the above 🤷🏼‍♀️ ? #simpletruths #courageis #hellofears #comfort #happiness #fear #selflove
People often ask me the SAME question (and I hate it): “Which one was the HARDEST fear to face from your 100-day project?” 🙃 . After giving it MUCH thought I understood WHY I hate this question SO muchhh 😑 . Every time I hear this, my brain makes all the possible connections trying to identify “the worst fear” and it NEVER can 🤔! What happens is this ⬇️🧠 . Expectations play a HUGE role when it comes to life, right? And our fear is just the THOUGHT that things will go SOUTH 😩. But, when we have the courage to go after our fears, we often realize that it was NOT as bad as we thought. The result may even be surprisingly positive since the expectations were SO low 😅! . And after having faced 100 fears, I can say that not even ONE TIME the actual challenge was as bad as what I had in my head before 🤷🏼‍♀️ . Two requests for you: 1️⃣ Turn your fears into ACTION (like the image says) and you will realize the SAME thing I did pretty quickly . 2️⃣ PLEASE: Don’t ask me again what my worst fear was 🙏🏼 The WORST fear is the one we haven’t faced, until we do it, and then, it’s the NEXT one. Cool 😎? . You can ask me about the “funnest” fear to face, or the “most random one” or the “most disgusting, painful or unexpected one” ASK AWAY ⬇️ I will answer ALL of your questions! . . . Powerful image by my friend @heyamberrae 👏🏼 Go follow her!
Speechless. ✨✨✨ Thank you Universe. ✨✨✨ 10,000 inspired souls here 👆🏼
It’s been A YEAR since I started this campaign! I thought I could totally run out of ideas a few months into it, but hey! life keeps throwing fears at us! We might as well write posts about it 🤣 . But this time I want YOU to help us out and write what #courageis 👇🏼 here! . 1️⃣ Try to be specific instead of generic so we can relate to YOUR story 2️⃣ Don’t overthink it! Your thoughts are valuable and we need to hear you! Remember courage is to trust your worth 🙏🏼⚡️♥️ Go!!
Yesterday I was asked to deliver three 75-minute keynote presentations back to back. And tomorrow I’ll be speaking in front of 10,000 women on a 360 degree stage 😱 . It’s not that I don’t have fear. In fact, my first reaction to these opportunities was “hell. no.” But then my bravery kicked in to win the battle against fear — every 👏🏼 single 👏🏼 time 👏🏼 . It’s a matter of choosing GROWTH over COMFORT again and again, until it becomes a beautiful and empowering habit. . What’s the last growth decision you’ve made? Was it worth it? . Image by @grl.supply — a message her dad taught her ♥️⚡️
Will we still be together when we’re that old? Will we still be in love? Will we be happy? Will we still be excited about life? Will we be impacting people’s lives still? Will we be proud of ourselves at that age? .. These are a few of the questions I make myself when I look at our future-selves. .. I wonder.... what are they smiling about? What kinds of goals have they accomplished? What is their definition of success? Are they fulfilling it? . My only hope for our future-selves is that they stay true to their beliefs, that they continue to grow as a team, and that they still live a life full of purpose. If we can make that happen, we can make anything happen. . What is one question you have in regards to your future self?👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 #faceapp #myfutureself #hellofears #growold #togetherforever #wrinkled
4 years ago, when I was about to graduate from my masters in Branding at @svabranding I had NO idea what my future was going to look like. . I had NO job, I was working on a 100-day project — for myself, I had some following, but no clue of how to monetize my ideas. My future was defined by #uncertainty — But I had ONE thing 👇🏼 . S E L F C O N F I D E N C E . I never, ever faked it. I firmly believed, despite my fears, that I was going to #makeit somehow. That I was going to become the person I envisioned for myself. . And you know what? People can smell confidence, and it is contagious. I realized that if you have #confidence in yourself, others will bet on you too 🙌🏼 . Just the other day I caught Adam staring at me 👀 as I was working on my stuff. And I asked him: what’s up? What’s that look on your face? . He said: I just realized you’ve become the person you always believed you could be. That’s all. . Guys, it all starts in our 🧠. We can create our own reality if we believe we can and if we work hard enough to make it happen. So, I want to #challenge you to: . ⚡️Show your work and accomplishments to others ⚡️Do it in the most confident way, don’t try to be too humble or shy. Be proud instead. ⚡️Talk to yourself with respect, remind yourself what makes you remarkable ⚡️Double down on your ideas ⚡️Prove yourself right 👊🏼 again, and again! . If you are up for this #selfconfidence challenge, comment “💥” or “HELL YES” below! . . . 🇪🇸 Want to learn more about this topic: DESDE EL AVION — episodio “Fingir Hasta Lograrlo?” — in Spanish ONLY #podcast
@abbiepaulhus illustrated one of my favorite #quotes of all times, so I had to repost 🙌🏼✨ . This quote is by Suzy Kassem, and it reminds me to keep pushing EVERY TIME that I’m about to quit just because of self-doubt or fear. I hope you find it as useful as I did ♥️ #hellofears #crushselfdoubt #failure #empowering
On the most recent episode of our podcast, Adam and I discussed the importance of making NEW friends as a way to EXPAND our circle and GROW. . We’re not talking about ANY kind of friendship here — we’re talking about the importance of surrounding ourselves with people who can challenge our perspective and our comfort zone. People who motivate us to become the BEST version of ourselves. People you can admire, respect and feel proud to call your friend. . When I look at these photos ⤴️, I don’t think of Adam and I, I think of @joncmlife — a photographer who invited us for coffee when he saw that we were in Seattle a few weeks ago. . We have a very busy schedule, but never busy enough to say “no” to a potential friend in a new city. We are extremely intentional when it comes to building new relationships. . In the few days that I’ve been in NY, I already met with two other *new* and AWESOME friends: @threz_ and @verdeisbetter 💚 and my life is so much better because of that. . I want to #challenge you to do the same. Because, like Jim Rohn says “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” . I don’t want to limit that to FIVE people, all I care about is spending my time surrounded by remarkable #friends who can teach me to be a better human being and can learn a thing or two from us ☺️👊🏼✨ . Tag a person who makes you feel PROUD to call your f•r•i•e•n•d 👇🏼 . . . If you speak Spanish go listen to our most recent episode on our podcast NOW! Find “Desde El Avión” on Spotify, iTunes and other #podcast platforms! ☁️✈️ ☁️ #desdelavion

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