FEAR: SOMETHING TO FEAR

"If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been."

Robert H. Schuller, 20th century American evangelist.

Make that if you only listen to your fears.

Fear alerts us to danger, however, when you are afraid to the point of never acting, it can do more harm than the problem(s) you were attempting to avoid. 

FEAR BEING AFRAID

"Excessive fear is always powerless."

Aeschylus, 5th century BC Greek tragedian

Fear can protect assuming what we fear warranted being afraid of in the first place.

Often that isn't the case.

Don't deny or give into what you fear.

Create your plan to eliminate the threat and more often than not you will. 

FEAR MANAGEMENT

"Some of our weakness is born in us, some of it comes through education; it is a big question as to which gives us the most trouble."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet/novelist/dramatist.

Take fear of change as example.

We aren't born afraid of new things and must learn what to fear.

Some over learn it (the "education" Von Goethe refers to.)

Still others know no fear to their own detriment.

When it comes to change we need to be cautious, we need to take risks, and above all we need to learn balance between the two.

ADVERSITY'S SILVER LINING

"We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it -- and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again -- and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore."

Mark Twain (1835-1910) U.S. humorist/writer/lecturer.

Very few consider what good might come from an otherwise bad experience.

It's not always obvious but it is most always there.

Look for it.

FEAR DOING NOTHING

"There is no greater hell than to be a prisoner of fear."

Ben Johnson (1572-1637) English dramatist/poet/actor

We fear many things, most not worth the effort.

Do your best to sort out which those are, casting them aside.

The rest?

Work out solutions for what you fear and the list will grow considerably shorter, you considerably happier.

AFRAID TO BE AFRAID?

"He who fears to suffer, suffers from fear."

Proverb

You could also say he (or she) who fails to risk, risks failure.

There are no sure things; identify what is important to you and go after it.

FEARING . . . ?

"Fear always springs from ignorance."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

19th century U.S. poet, essayist, lecturer

Ignorance about things that often never happen.

The next time you are afraid, take time to learn all you can about what you fear.

In many cases you will find it doesn't exist.

I'll Have To Do Something About That

"People do not mind their faults being spread out before them, but they become impatient if called on to give them up."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Late 18th/early 19th century German poet/dramatist

I would have thought of something other than "impatient", for example, maybe "anxious"; however the outcome is much the same.

We recognize what we need to change without taking action to change it.

Is There A Rational Manager?

"Everyone believes very easily what they fear or desire."

Jean de la Fontaine

17th century French poet

So much in business is about what we fear or hope will happen.

How rational then is our decision making?

Which Path Will You Take?

"The path is smooth that leadeth on to danger."

William Shakespeare

16th century British poet/playwright

There are two reasons this could be true.

One, because what's at the end of the path is not all that dangerous.

Two, because what's at the end of the path is dangerous and because it is few take that path.

Which do you think it is?

That Worries Me!

"I am an old man and have known many troubles, most of which never happened."

Mark Twain

19th century American humorist/author

Talk about business wisdom.

He's telling us that most of what we worry about never amounts to much.

Now I'm worried about what I'm not worried about.

The Devil Is The Devil You Don't Know

"For it is not death or hardship that is a fearful thing, but the fear of death and hardship."

Epictetus

1st century Greek philosopher

In business as in our personal lives, we fear what we do not know.

Replace unknowns and assumptions with facts.  Verify, plan, and the right path will become clear, the fear diminished.

You Can't Say That!

"Censorship ends in logical completeness when nobody is allowed to read any books accept the books nobody reads."

George Benard Shaw

Late 19th/early 20th century Irish playwright/ co-founder of the London School of Economics

While the topic is important to us all, it is specifically so to a friend and colleague who recently found himself on the receiving end of irrational censorship.

Thinking about it more, when is censorship ever rational?

If you'd like to learn more check out the discussion on Green Book.

Now What?

"We have perhaps a natural fear of ends.  We would rather always be on the way than arrive."

Eric Hoffer

20th century American philosopher

Is that because we know that with most ends there soon follows a new beginning?

The devil you know versus the one you don't?

I Wish I Didn't Know Now What I Didn't Know Then

"Education is the path from cocky ignorance to miserable uncertainty."

Mark Twain

19th century American humorist/author

I see this in my clients and often it's not as much a matter of education as it is experience.

Or lack thereof.

Those just starting out don't know what they don't know, not to mention what they should know.

And those, generally older, who do know, are scared thinking about what they now know they don't know.

Feared Or Willingly Followed?

"The superior man is firm in the right way, and not merely firm."

Confucius

5th century  BC Chinese philosopher

As the boss you can easily be the latter, often without knowing that you are.

Try not to.

Beneficial Apprehension

"If you are not afraid of doing it then it's not worth the effort."

Mike Stay

Business Wisdom reader/contributor

How many of your "wins" came without some fear of failure?

Can there be meaningful victory without the potential for meaningful loss?

No Time Like The Present!

"Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; adversity not without many comforts and hopes."

Francis Bacon

16th century British statesman

We are ever so slowly emerging from extremely difficult economic times and with that comes a lot of cautious business people who say they are waiting for things to improve before once again spending to grow their business.

Waiting for what?

As Mr. Bacon says, there is bad in all good, and good in all bad.

Get on with it!

Fear As An Option

"The best safety lies in fear."

William Shakespeare

16th century British playwright/poet

To a point and rarely if ever in business.

Companies simply do not have the option to standstill out of fear of what may happen.

If they are not willing to proactively take risk and change, change will come to them, often in ways they will not like.

The Business of Optimism

"If pleasures are greatest in anticipation, just remember that is also true of trouble."

Elbert Hubbard

19th century American author/editor/publisher

You will get beyond whatever is ahead, good and bad, just as you have every time before.

Every sunny day turns to night, every storm eventually ends. 

Prepare, have faith, keep going.