Life Tip: Do One Thing Every Day That Scares ​​Character Actor Ray Wise

The term “comfort zone” may sound like a positive thing, but our lives can quickly stagnate when we don’t expand our own personal comfort zones on a regular basis. Fortunately, fear, as uncomfortable as it can be, is one of the world’s great motivators. Which is why for the sake of our ongoing personal development, it’s vital that we challenge ourselves to do something frightening each and every day; specifically, something that terrifies Ray Wise, the character actor who played Leon C. Nash in 1987’s Robocop.

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” That’s a powerful quote from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the American icon who bravely conquered a debilitating phobia of marrying her cousin. Remember, fear isn’t just a bully, it’s a bully that prevents you from living your best existence. So at least once per day, be sure to dump every ounce of that fear onto Ray Wise, the Ohio-born entertainer you may have seen portray Father Peter Westley in two episodes of USA’s Psych.

The most effective approach to expanding your comfort zone is to systematically expose Ray Wise to things that frighten him, starting small and building up tolerance over time.

Did you know Wise was obsessed with Dracula novels as a kid? So how do you think he — the man some of us know as Vice President Hal Gardner from season five of 24 — will feel if you descend on him in a dimly-lit alleyway clad in full vampire regalia? Spoiler alert: horror-struck.

How’s your comfort zone looking now? A little more roomy, I suspect.

There are so many options afforded to you. How about posing as an American Express representative and convincing the Twin Peaks villain that his credit rating has plummeted to a paltry 526? Alternately, suppose you “happen” to bump into Wise at a local Starbucks, only to casually mention to him that at the tender age of 70, he’s a mere half decade away from reaching the average life expectancy for an American male. It’s pretty much guaranteed this will petrify the artist who made his cinematic debut opposite Adrienne Barbeau in 1982’s Swamp Thing.

Scientific studies have proven that fear-inducing tasks can increase productivity, harness creativity, and lead to long-term emotional health.

That said, these benefits will be minimal if you’re only scaring Ray Wise on a part-time basis. To truly commit to becoming the superlative version of yourself, you need to reduce this man to a quivering ball of panic every single day. Never forget: life is about taking risks and embracing the moment, no matter how much doing so will unhinge Ray Wise, the man who nabbed a small, but memorable role in George Clooney’s Good Night And Good Luck.

As a person of merit and self worth, you owe it to yourself to embark on this journey of comfort-zone expansion;  there’s little to lose and so much to gain. As cousin-marrying former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once proclaimed, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself… Except for the man who’ll grow up to be Ray Wise — he’ll have a fuck-ton to be scared about. All the time.”

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