On Becoming Fearless: ...in Love, Work, and Life

by Arianna Huffington

Book Overview

Author, syndicated columnist, occasional actress, and businesswoman Ariana Huffington examines the ways in which fear affects the lives of women, and the steps anyone can take to conquer fear.

Observing that her own teenage daughters were beginning to experience some of the same fears that had once burdened her

-- How attractive am I? Do people like me? Do I dare speak up? --

Arianna Huffington was compelled to look...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316166820
• ISBN13: 9780316166829
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Little, Brown Spark
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Go Fearless!

I can't tell you how touched I am by this book. Here is Ms. Huffington, a woman known for her political influence and intellectual pursuits, who chose to write a book about her intimate relationship with fear. What an amazing gift that a person accomplished in so many ways paused to share her story of living with, yet breaking through, fear. Prior to reading this book, I held a belief that great people did not have to work with the same type of inner chatter - "the world's worst roommate," as Ms. Huffington so aptly puts it. Ms. Huffington has given me such a gift; to see that it is not some better, less fearful mind that makes her success a possibility, but rather her feisty excitement at moving through and past her fears! If you are considering this book, I highly recommend it! If you like this style of writing, in which wisdom is collected and woven together through a series of stories and anecdotes, I also recommend that you check out Ariel and Shya Kane's most recent book, Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. Like Ms. Huffington, the Kanes are skilled at using their wisdom and life experience to guide their readers past the limiting fears and ideas that naturally impede well being, so that life can be lived at its best: as a daring adventure!!!

Every Woman Should Have This Book

First Things First Let's address the elephant in the room: Arianna Huffington, author of On Becoming Fearless, ran against Arnold Schwarenegger for governor of California in 2003. She switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party. Huffington's ex-husband, Michael, revealed in a magazine article following their divorce that he is bisexual. Her piece of the web: The Huffington Post. All right, everybody good? Let's move on. What We Fear "Whatever it is that frightens you has frightened someone before you." It is a simple, powerful statement and the premise of a book that speaks directly to the issues that make women's knees buckle. Those issues are intimate: love, parenting, our bodies, work, leadership, and a woman's power to change the world. We all seek out ways to combat the fear that paralyzes us frequently and this book is a definite step towards resolving that fear. Huffington has not written a self-help book. This is not a step-by-step instructional manual on attaining instant courage. It is a conversation about a chief aliment among women. The author facilitates this conversation in the manner in which women everywhere communicate--she shares. Each chapter highlights a subject (leadership, death, spirituality, etc.) and Huffington recounts personal experiences about her struggles as a woman, mother, and professional. She proclaims her own mother as her role model. The author also enlists friends and acquaintances to tell their stories of acknowledgement, confrontation, change, and acceptance of what has frightened them in their lives. There are more suggestions than firm advice. The reader is challenged to think about her own situation in light of revelations of other women. Now, it is easy to become distracted by the women Huffington features in the book. These women are Nobel Prize winners, CEO's, politicians, heads of commercial and non-profit businesses. It's an intimidating roster until you take a deeper look at their experiences. Their fears are the same as every woman. On Becoming Fearless suggests that the difference between the fearless woman and the woman paralyzed by her fear is not socioeconomics, race, education, or marital status. The difference is that the fearless woman does not allow the fear to stop her. She moves forward trembling knees, sweaty palms, nagging inner voice and all. Huffington shows that fearlessness is only attained on the moving side of action. Overcoming Our Fears "Squashing our true selves is a major cause of fear, anxiety, and depression." Huffington reports that humans have four instincts: survival, power, sex, and spirituality. She tackles each of them in her survey of the areas in women's lives where fear rears up and strikes. She encourages introspection to fish out true desires and wants, the causes of fear. The author also suggests not taking oneself too seriously, because the flaws we obsess over simply aren't that important to other people. And it is other people that women ten

An inspirational guide to living openly and bravely

Arianna Huffington could be a role model for any modern woman. She's written ON BECOMING FEARLESS as an invitation to her daughters, Christina and Isabella, to live openly and bravely. Huffington has never feared the consequences of her political convictions. "At the heart of my political transformation was my recognition that the task of overcoming poverty and social injustice is too monumental to be achieved without the power and scale that only government can provide. Along with this came the conviction that silence is not an option." Huffington has never allowed herself to be silenced. She addresses her adversaries with verve and mental acuity, and is known for her bulldog tenacity in facing conflict. It is no surprise to learn that she headed the debating society at Cambridge University. In this book she lays out some gutsy principles to live by. Demystify money and don't let it rule your life. Don't be afraid of aging: "fifty really is the new thirty." Be fearless with the possibility of power; Arianna hasn't let men, like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2003 race for governor of California, hold her back with the suggestion that she "drink more decaf." Huffington has run for high office, made herself a known and to-be-reckoned-with face on our television screens, and has done so without sacrificing her femininity. She would perhaps say that stalking the corridors of political power and making demands of the system is at the very heart of femininity. Citing examples from the world of corporate America, Huffington shows us many exemplars of decisive, assertive women, and concludes, "If you want to succeed big, there is no substitute for simply sticking your neck out." In her fifties, the author launched a dynamic website, The Huffington Post, quoting research that indicates that "later in life more women than men are jumping in and starting new projects." She presents the example of Sherry Lansing, who "with sixty looming" began a new career in philanthropy, forming her own foundation devoted to cancer research. Throughout this nicely blended book (fact, opinion, humor and theory), Huffington generously gives praise to her friends and role models, particularly her mother, for whom fear was never an option. Huffington treats without hesitation that most profound of all "what ifs" --- the fear of death --- and in doing so summarizes her philosophy of fearlessness. "Trusting that there is more to the world than what we can see and finding a way to connect to it can help us face our mortality with fearlessness and bring this fearlessness into everyday life." --- Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott

A wise guide

I am a trained Psychologist and have been practicing psychotherapy for fifteen years. In reading On Becoming Fearless, I had the unexpected - and pleasurable - experience of taking a review of my life. Just like in a good therapy I found myself asking and reflecting on the following questions: "Where have I been? Where am I now? Where do I want to be? The chapters hit all the important areas in a human life addressing issues around our bodies, our loves, our children, our work, our money, our aging, our spirituality. After completing my own personal therapy a dozen years ago the book was a refreshing opportunity to pick up again on the narratives of my own personal journey. Arianna Huffington is a wise and capable guide and it is clear that she cares deeply and compassionately for women and their well-being and happiness. Weaving her own story and those of other women throughout the chapters I played with adding my own voice into the conversation. This made me realize how important it is for women to start or join an ongoing women's group. And Arianna has made it especially easy for us as she has already given us the syllabus!!

Brava Arianna - insightful and useful

I am not embarrassed to say that I needed to read this book and gain the wisdom it has to offer. Of course, I would have been afraid to admit that prior to reading the book and learning that dealing with fear is nothing to be ashamed of. How astounding to hear from so many other women, many I have admired for years, about their fears and how they overcame them. Arianna has written an honest and insightful guide that I can see myself returning to many times in the next phase of my life whenever I need another fearlessness boast to propel me forward. Bless you Arianna for writing this book and getting so many remarkable women to openly tell their stories. A great gift for women.