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From the get-go we are riveted to the action.  It is fast-paced.  It is intense.  It is almost unbelievable – we have not seen anything like this before.  It is terrifying to watch.

One man chases another man through a high-rise construction site: the front-runner intent on getting away with his life, the pursuer intent on taking the life of the one he pursues.  The front-runner’s cat-like ability to run and leap into, out-of, off-of, and through is amazing.

There is a powerful freedom he is demonstrating.  He is “free-running” up steel girders, across narrow beams, and over large piles of materials, all in a desperate attempt to shake off the one chasing him.

The climax of the action sequence comes after he has scaled up the cables of a tower crane to escape onto the massive arm of the crane.  His pursuer manages to meet him there for a knock-down-drag-out slug fest which only ends when he perilously leaps from one tower crane down to another, then off that crane down onto a storage container, then down to the ground to continue his relentless run to freedom – having just covered multiple stories of distance in 3 leaps and fewer seconds.

Was it Hollywood magic, only found in a James Bond movie pushing the boundaries of an action hero?  Or, was it the incredible ability of a man who invented “Free Running”?  Yes.

This action sequence in Casino Royale was made possible by Sebastien Foucan, the creator of Free Running.  He demonstrated his brand of death-defying athleticism in a fashion that captivated audiences the world over.

What most people do not know about Sebastien Foucan is that he is afraid of heights.  Most of this cutting edge sequence took place significant distances above the ground in the very heart of Foucan’s terror which could have easily prevented him from participating in the movie.

However, Foucan has chosen to commit himself to this particular principle of excellence:

“If you don’t overcome, you won’t become.”

He understands that fear will always attempt to keep you from stepping out of who you are into you can be.  He has worked hard to overcome his fear to become who he wants to be.  He realizes that fear can be overcome with practice.

I don’t care who you are, you will come face to face with fear when you choose to step out of your comfort zone to become more than you currently are.  Your best resides on the other side of fear.  Fear will be your travel companion on the road to your greatest achievements.  But don’t let it stop you.

You know the feeling:  When you have to make a difficult decision that needs to be made – fear.  When you need to step up, step out, or step into something with which you may have little experience – fear.  When you have to confront someone who has not fulfilled their obligations  – fear.  When you know you need to spend more money to get you out of a tight financial situation – fear.  When you see your strategy is not producing the results you anticipate and changes need to be made – fear.  When you have to stand strong on principal against the tide of popular opinion – fear.

We face fear every day and your best you is always on the other side of it.  We must choose to be less afraid of fear and see it as the prerequisite to courage.  Courage is simply the decision to move forward in the face of fear.  It is the “being scared spitless, but saddling up anyway”, according to John Wayne.

If we do not overcome we will not become our best.  It is cowardly to cave into your fears and courageous to overcome them.  Each is a choice: caving in or overcoming.  You can choose either.  Overcoming leads to your best, caving in leads to your worst.

The choice is yours.

When you feel fear creeping up your spine, or tightening up your gut, remind yourself that if you don’t overcome, you won’t become.  This is your chance to practice overcoming fear – to step into your best you.

To become we must overcome.