For the better part of the last year, there seems to be a lot of fear and trepidation in this country. All you have to do is spend a few minutes on Facebook to get your fill of colorful responses to it.
The building of a wall on the Mexican border dominated the headlines last week as President Trump seeks to make good on his campaign promise. Fear of safety has been the rallying cry for those in favor, and the response against has been just as loud. As a history aficionado, I wonder what the response – had social media existed – would have sounded like in December 1941 when President Roosevelt ordered the internment of nearly 120,000 Japanese-Americans after the Pearl Harbor attack. Today we look back in horror to the actions of what is a now a very celebrated president. Just like the topic of today’s wall and other issues related to entering this country have been sparked by fear of security, those decisions made by President Roosevelt and the government were fueled by the same fear.
Fear is a powerful motivator. Although fear of certain things – getting too close to a flame for fear of being burned; fear of not insuring your home or business in case it’s destroyed – cause us to take actions that benefit us; many things we fear lead us to sit on the sidelines. We have all been guilty of it at one time or another in our lives, I’m sure. The question is now, what are you still afraid of and what is it holding you back from accomplishing.
The legendary actress Mary Tyler Moore passed away last week. For millions of women, she gave hope to taking control and betting on one’s self. The roles she played were contrary to the world’s view of a woman; and in real life she formed her own production company that spawned hundreds of popular television shows. Why is this important? Because regardless of gender, race, color of skin, or anything else, you control your own destiny. You direct each day, week, and year. The only thing stopping you from being bold is a fear of something. Identify what it is; exorcise fear from your thinking; lay your emotional and financial investment on yourself; and if you’re resilient, you may “just make it after all.” Because as some famous president who’s profile graces our dime stated nine years prior to those Pearl Harbor attacks, “the only thing we have to fear; is fear itself.”
Go be fearless.
Need help identifying and overcoming the fears and obstacles that hold you back? Give me a call or email and let’s talk.
Quote of the Week:
“You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.”
~ Mary Tyler Moore
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