December 27, 2010

Running From Rather Than To


"I know what I am fleeing from, but not what I am in search of."



Michel Eyquem de Montaigne
16th century French philosopher

Ain't that the truth.  

And as bad as not knowing where we want to go is, little of what we flee from/fear, turns out to have been worth the angst and effort.

So, the lesson is, carefully examine our fears, putting aside the inconsequential, dealing with the remaining few, all the time never losing sight of the need to simultaneously focus on our goals.

4 comments :

  1. we have nothing to fear but fear itself, right?

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  2. That's it but sometimes easier in theory than practice.

    Back in my late 20's I can recall times when everything I could think of was going well, so what did I do? I worried that there must be something bad I was forgetting to worry about.

    "Paranoia runs deep, into your life it will creep."

    Buffalo Springfield
    "For What It's Worth"

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  3. In business speak, prioritize what we will spend our time and money on. You can't do it all.

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  4. You're right Michael, you can't do it all. But I've noted numerous situations where management does not address certain issues, just because they they see the possible result as worse than if they did nothing.

    Just as many of us will delay going to the doctor or dentist, out of fear of what they will tell us, so too does management sometimes shy away from what they see as the more unpleasant, difficult tasks. In those situations the perceived, potential negative outcome is enough to cause them to focus on something else.

    That's OK if the problem can truly be avoided, but in many situations the delay only makes the inevitable worse.

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