Be Fearless: Summary Review & Takeaway Points
This is a summary review of Be Fearless containing key details about the book.
What is Be Fearless About?
Be Fearless is a research-based call to action for those seeking to live extraordinary lives and bring about transformational change. Weaving together storytelling, practical tips, and inspiration, the book will teach you how to put the five fearless principles to work so that you too can spark the sorts of remarkable breakthroughs that can impact the world. The 5 principles for being fearless are to 1. Make a Big Bet; 2. Be a bold risk-taker; 3. Make failures matter; 4. Reach beyond your bubble; 5. Let urgency conquer fear.
Throughout Be Fearless, the author illustrates principles through storytelling—from her own transformational life experiences, to Jane Goodall’s remarkable breakthroughs in understanding and protecting chimpanzees, to celebrity chef José Andrés’ decision to be a “first responder” and take his kitchen to the sites of devastating hurricanes to feed the hungry, to Madame C.J. Walker’s vision to build a hair care empire that would employ thousands across the country, and more. She shares new insights to stories you might think you know—like Airbnb’s tale of starting from scratch to transform the hospitality industry, to John F. Kennedy’s history-making moonshot—and gems from changemakers you’ve never heard of. Be Fearless features a compelling foreword from Jane Goodall saying “there is no time in history when it has been more important to Be Fearless” and a new afterword with stories of people inspired to take action after reading the book.
Here's what one of the prominent reviewers had to say about the book: "If you feel stuck in your career, Case’s principles are the answer! The book is packed with inspiring examples of success stories." - Focus Magazine 👍
Who is the author of Be Fearless?
Jean Case is an American businesswoman, author, and philanthropist who is chair of the board of National Geographic, CEO of Case Impact Network, CEO of the Case Foundation.
Favorite Quote: "When failure happens, great innovators make the setback matter, applying the lessons learned, and sharing them with others." ― Be Fearless Quotes, Jean Case
Book Details
- Print length: 272 pages
- Genre: Business, Self Help, Nonfiction
What are the main summary points of Be Fearless?
Here are some key summary points from Be Fearless:
- Takeaway 1: Make Big Bets, which are bold statements and initiatives that, at the time, seem impossible, but, with the creators drive and persistence become a reality. Big Bets get their start by defying assumptions. For example, Elon Musk has made the Big Bet of getting us to Mars by 2030. Big bets can also help you see what the future holds. Remember, big things have small and humble beginnings. ("So many people and organizations are naturally cautious. They look at what seemed to work in the past and try to do more of it, leading to only incremental advances. Every truly history-making transformation has occurred when people have decided to go for revolutionary change.")
- Takeaway 2: Be a bold risk-taker; Change, great things, adventures, and the like very rarely happen within your comfort zone. To be great, you need to embrace risk, take advantage of other people’s work, and say yes to taking bold chances. ("Have the guts to try new, unproven things, and the rigor to continue experimenting. Risk-taking is not a blind leap off a cliff but a lengthy process of trial and error. And it doesn’t end with the launch of a product or the start of a movement. You need to be willing to risk the next big idea, even if it means upsetting your own status quo.")
- Takeaway 3: Make failures matter. Reframe how you view failure and throw a celebration when one of your projects has failed. It is not the end, but an opportunity. Use the lessons failure gives you to recalibrate and progress. Be open to new ideas and possibilities. As IBM founder Thomas J. Watson once said, "if you really want to succeed, you should double your rate of failure." A good example of this: The X lab scientist Astro Teller actively try to bring a project down by proving its central conceit wrong. If he can’t, then he knows there’s a good chance he has a brilliant idea. As Albert Einstein once said, “Failure is success in progress.”
- Takeaway 4: Let urgency overpower fear. When your back is against the wall, this is when adrenaline kicks in and you can find yourself doing bold things. If you look at what’s going on around you, you’ll likely find a crisis or a big challenge that makes you passionate in wanting to take action.
- Takeaway 5: Don’t overthink yourself into inaction – just do it. You don't need to take massive steps to create great change. Focus on small incremental bounds and don't get caught in analysis paralysis. ("Don’t overthink and overanalyze. It’s natural to want to study a problem from all angles, but getting caught up in questions like “What if we’re wrong?” and “What if there is a better way?” can leave you paralyzed with fear. Allow the compelling need to act to outweigh all doubts and setbacks. These five principles can be summarized in two words: Be Fearless.”)
Be Fearless Chapters
Chapter 1: Start right where you are
Chapter 2: Be Audacious
Chapter 3: Burse Through Assumptions
Chapter 4: Peek around corners
Chapter 5: Now Go, Make Your Big Bet
Chapter 6: Get Uncomfortable
Chapter 7: Embrace Risk as R&D
Chapter 8: Pick Up Where others Left Off
Chapter 9: Risk or Regret
Chapter 10: Now Go, Find the "Courage Zone"
Chapter 11: Crash and Learn
Chapter 12: Fail in the footsteps of Giants
Chapter 13: Beat the Odds
Chapter 14: Taking the Long View
Chapter 15: Now Go, Learn from Failure
* The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways. If you want to enhance your personal growth, I recommend checking out my list of favorite personal growth books. These books have played a significant role in my life, and each one includes a summary and takeaways to help you apply the concepts.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
