Fear: that weight on your chest, the voice that drowns out all the others, and the paralysis that sets in to your bones. Being afraid can stop us from living wholeheartedly. But it can also serve as a motivating force. For Gian-Quen Isaacs, Lelo Mofokeng, and Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, their triumph over fear propelled them to fulfillment.
Gian-Quen Isaacs grew up in the poverty-stricken Cape Flats of South Africa. Despite living in a country unaccustomed to snowfall or the winter sports of the Northern Hemisphere, Isaacs pursued ice skating from an early age. “When I first started skating, I was extremely nervous but excited,” she says. While her mother was acutely aware of the family’s dire financial circumstances, she didn’t let that gnawing worry get in the way of her teenage daughter’s future. At the rink, countless falls and frustrations built a champion. Isaacs has since gone on to represent her country multiple times in international competitions, even winning gold. “When you love something, you won’t allow the fear of failure to stop you,” she says.
The prospect of opening a restaurant sent chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen spinning. “I was petrified,” he says. But sometimes, terror’s monstrous shadow can be reduced by a few words of wisdom. When Van der Westhuizen’s mother realised how scared her son was, she encouraged him in their home language, Afrikaans. “My child, it’s just a restaurant,” she said to him. This recalibration of perspective empowered Van der Westhuizen to persevere. In time, he became South Africa’s first chef to be awarded a Michelin star – the most prestigious accolade in culinary arts – for his restaurant JAN.
Lelo Mofokeng overcame his fear through words. In his first year of kindergarten, he was bullied by one of his classmates who punched him in the stomach. Silenced by worry, Mofokeng didn’t tell anyone at first. After mustering up the courage, the young boy finally shared the secret with his mother. “I didn’t want to break her heart,” Mofokeng says. But she helped him to confront the boy and end the bullying. Mofokeng processed the pain of the experience by writing, and went on to publish the book How I Survived Bullying at the age of eight. “I hope my book is helping other kids who went through the same thing,” he says.
When we learn that dread can be conquered with love, fear dies. Being fearless isn’t about ignoring what makes us scared. It’s knowing that what lies on the other side is worth the fight.
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