Fear and courage are concepts that seem to be in the mental atmosphere that surrounds me.  It could be due to who I’ve been reading and thinking about lately. It could be because of what I’ve noticed about how people are at the moment from the uncertainty that COVID has caused.

I’ve been reading about people I admire. One of the things they have in common is that they  had a great deal to fear, and that didn’t stop them. All of them said they were terrified, but did what they needed to do anyway.

When I’m afraid of something, it means that either there is a real physical danger in front of me, or that a value I cherish is in possible danger, or that I’m about to step into something I have no idea about.

During this time of COVID, governments have borrowed heavily on our future to help deal with the current situation, and many are now wondering how most of us will end up paying for that debt.  We’re also worried about our security – how we will cover mortgages, rents, our children’s needs when jobs are scarce. Many of us who are self-employed are worried that what we offered pre-COVID will not be needed post-COVID.

All of this threatens what we value, and so we have every reason to be afraid.

Fear can stop you, or it can motivate you. It motivated those people I read about. It motivates ordinary people like you and I every day.  In fact, without becoming excitement junkies who love nothing more than jumping off real cliffs, you can learn to use fear, and courage, as a compass in your life.

When you stand before something you fear, take a moment to acknowledge its value to you. Then take courage to do what you need to do.

What fear can teach us

Quote of the Week 

“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to do.”
― Georgia O’Keefe

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Maryanne