Tag: fear
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Stuck in Fear Gear
It’s easy to see people–in your clan, company, community, and country–stuck in fear gear. Your first job here, good leader, is to show yourself that fear gear is neither necessary nor helpful. It is helpful to feel and acknowledge fear when it happens. But we can’t stay there. Realistic optimism always works better. Now, share […]
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Rule of Thumb
Here’s a helpful rule of thumb: head towards fear, discomfort, or tension. Not to abuse yourself (“gotta take my lumps, must work hard”), not to assert your will over anything (how silly), but to get the gift. There is always a gift hiding in there. And the gift makes things easier. In your corner, Michael
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Lack of Progress?
Lack of progress anywhere at work and in life feels bad not because there’s something broken but because we fear we can’t keep up or handle it. But we can. In your corner, Mike PS: No, it’s not those other people’s actions or attitudes. It’s us, the leaders. PPS: If we pause for a…
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At Moments Like These
Complaining about, fearing, or fighting something that we don’t like is the painful, slow way. Such focus only strengthens it. Focusing on what we do like is similar. The more attention we give, the more it will grow. As counterintuitive as it seems, our best way is to leave alone what we don’t like, to refuse to give…
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Dragon Slaying or Dragon Slaying Classes?
We can work on ourselves until we are ready to slay dragons. Or we can go slay dragons and make dragon slaying our arena for working on ourselves. The good news is both ways work. The bad news is both ways can also be really good ways to chicken out. Fear can keep us out of…
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Are You Tapping the Fear or the Spark?
There is a fear within each of us. Tap it and you’ll get hurried, harried, and short-lived results. Further attempts to mine this source become ever more costly, unpredictable, and ultimately doomed. There is a spark within each of us. Tap it and you’ll get long-lasting, wonderful results. Of course, mining sparks is not a…
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When We do the Opposite of What We Really Need to Do
Wherever we see troubles we can usually find a hidden assumption about scarcity lurking about. Out of a fear of lack or a fear for survival, we do the opposite of what we really need to do: we defend our turf or attack others. This may lead to short-lived gains but will leave us still…
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If You Have Yet to Become Who You Thought You Would Be…
Do the thing you fear the most and the death of fear is certain. – Mark Twain Because fear seems so real, we maintain all sorts of seemingly rational stories, habits, and other defenses to stop us from doing what we fear. Most of us have been working these defenses so long that they seem…
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Quivering Demon
The sages tell us there are only two emotions: love and fear. What is not one is the other. This is useful because we know that fear feels bad. It distracts, detracts, and debilitates. And it is mostly self-generated and sustained. Anything that feels bad has its roots in plain old fear. The way out…
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Good Leadership, Wise Business
The sages tell us that there are only two reactions to anything: fear or love. Nothing else. So if we catch ourselves feeling bad or trying to attack, avoid, complain, or criticize anything, we are in fear. The solution to whatever we fear is to love it. This does not mean we should accept something…