essays – Consulting

Fear

There seems to be an underlying current of fear with everyone these days. Do you feel it?

I’ve posted about Courage as it relates to strategic planning, and it’s been on my mind even more lately.

As I said then, a definition of courage is “the ability to confront fear, pain, risk/danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.”

A famous saying by Zig Ziglar states that “FEAR has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ A more recent interpretation I’ve seen is ” False Evidence Appearing Real.”

How we approach our own fears determines how we move through the world each day.

The introvert in me would much rather sit in my comfortable chair reading a book with a cat in my lap.

The drive to make a difference and help others, though, forces me out of that chair. It pushes me to teach classes and make presentations even though I often show up with imposter syndrome and the fear of judgement by others.

I don’t know if you’d call my continuing to step out in fear “courage,” but I know I can’t be happy in the long term by giving in to my fears and staying “comfortable” at home.

What is causing fear for you lately? How are you facing those fears?