How to eliminate your paragliding fear with 1 simple habit
Trying to be fearless is stupid
Last weekend I watched two pilots take completely different approaches.
One hung around on launch, waiting for perfect conditions. The other clipped in and launched early, floated around in light lift, landed, and smiled.
When the thermals switched on, the early flyer was already tuned in — the other was still nervously sitting on takeoff waiting for perfect.
That small difference revealed a powerful truth about progress.
The Hidden Habit
In my coaching, I’ve noticed this same pattern —
a habit that separates fast improvers from those who plateau.
While it may seem trivial at first, incorporating this into your practice will change your flying, guaranteed.
But before we get to the habit itself, we need to understand the silent flow-blocker that masquerades as logic and stops pilots from implementing it: fear.
Is Fear Bad?
Fear gets a bad rap.
In some circles, even talking about it feels taboo. To avoid shame, most people hide their fears or overcompensate with bravado, trying to appear fearless.
Yet fear is as natural as the sunrise — an ancient signal readying us for action.
The problem is that we lump all fear together when, in truth, there are two very different kinds.
Two Kinds of Fear
Fear 1 — the psychological, ego-based fear that holds us back.
Fear 2 — the physical, instinctive fear that keeps us alive.
Fear 1 (anxiety) is the voice of the inner critic — worrying about failure, judgment, or not being good enough. It is a disease of the overthinking mind.
Fear 2 sharpens perception and energizes the body when it matters most — it’s a gift and a tool we can use to activate ourselves for peak performance.
Breakthroughs happen when we work with Fear 2 and release Fear 1.
Fear 1 tries to predict every negative outcome, creating a self-made, self-fulfilling mental prison.
When that anxiety takes over, we:
• tighten up and lose flexibility
• deplete energy and stamina
• stop breathing
• slow reactions
• lose control
The more we tighten, the more we doubt ourselves — and the cycle repeats.
This fear shows up as resistance — that subtle magnetic force that keeps us stuck.
It disguises itself as logic: pilots standing on takeoff, waiting for conditions to be “good.”
Look closer and you’ll see the deeper root — the fear of failure, especially the fear of bombing out while others climb away.
Many pilots unconsciously tie their performance to their self-worth.
So they wait — frustrated — while others fly, learn, and grow.
The Habit That Eliminates Fear 1 (anxiety)
There’s only one real way to dissolve this fear: action.
But not blind action — action taken without attachment to results.
The ability to fly for the sake of flying. To practice for the sake of practice.
Our most confident students have done many more flights in the same timeframe as those who remain stuck.
That’s the habit: reframe early flights as warm-ups. Fly early. Fly often.
And instead of measuring success by altitude or distance — metrics outside your control — focus on goals fully within it: preparation, warm-up intentions, post-flight reflection, awareness of your internal state.
Why it works:
Warm-up flights calm the mind — you shake off nerves before pressure builds.
You build sensitivity — light, tricky air trains finesse and control.
You compound awareness — each flight adds data; the mind and body adapt faster.
You enter flow sooner — when it turns on, you’re already there.
It’s not about chasing big flights; it’s about rhythm. When you get into the groove, everything falls into place as if like magic. But it’s not magic, it starts with the proactive habit of practice.
Every takeoff becomes training.
This is the principle of Kaizen: of becoming one percent better every day.
Over time, that habit compounds into mastery.
Fear isn’t the opposite of flow; it’s the doorway to it.
Flow begins where control ends.
The Warrior Spirit
Behind this habit lies something deeper — a spirit that refuses to wait for life to be perfect before engaging with it.
To act in spite of fear.
NOTE: We’re not trying to become fearless. This is stupid. Fear is an ally — a messenger and bringer of power. The difference lies in our perspective.
Warm-up launch pilots aren’t reckless; they’re proactive.
They don’t wait to feel confident — they earn confidence through action.
This is very important to realise.
Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett explains anxiety in her book 7 ½ Lessons About the Brain like this:
“Panicking is your brain calling you out—you didn’t put in the work, the practice, the preparation.
And Alex Hormozi put’s it like this:
“You’re nervous because you’re underprepared. Hard to be nervous when you’ve actually done the same thing the same way 100 times in a row.”
What you may fail to realise is that your heroes are not fearless.
They act in spite of their fear. They allow themselves to feel it and then do the thing anyway.
That’s the Warrior Spirit: showing up despite uncertainty, meeting challenges head-on, and trusting that courage will reveal clarity.
True mastery — in flying and in life — isn’t passive. It’s lived moment by moment, through decisive, conscious action.
Each time you move through fear you expand your horizons and sharpen your edge. You return changed and renewed having overcome a past limitation. You’ve grown.
This is neverending.
As you overcome one obstacle a new one presents itself. You can either complain or wish it was easy and become overwhelmed by the challenge or you can welcome it, tackle it head on and embrace it as a challenge.
The latter is you my friend, deep down you are a warrior. Never forget that.
The Healing Power of Flow
There’s another reason this matters — one that goes deeper than skill.
Flow doesn’t just make you a better pilot; it makes you a healthier human.
Every time you enter that state of pure focus, your brain releases a natural mix of chemicals — dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and anandamide — that:
• restore balance
• lift mood
• quiet anxiety
• build confidence
Flying isn’t an escape from life; it’s a return to it.
That’s why so many pilots describe it as healing — because it is.
And the only way to get there is to take action at your edge — to stretch but not snap, and to trust the process.
Tip of the Week
Next time you fly:
Treat your first flight as a warm-up, not a test.
Focus on breathing and body awareness before launch.
After landing, regardless of the outcome, reflect on the lesson
Reflection
Fear isn’t the opposite of flow; it’s the doorway to it.
Flow begins where control ends.
As Shunryu Suzuki wrote:
“To enjoy your life in your effort, little by little, even though it is impossible to make that million, or actually getting that million — which is more important?
Trying to do something in itself is enlightenment.”
Progress isn’t about external results.
It’s about finding joy and meaning in the effort itself — in the simple act of flying.
Flow is nature’s way of reminding us we’re already whole.
— Grant
P.S. If you want to join a community of supportive pilots taking ownwership of their paragliding and their lives - join Wingmates here
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