Do you know what Fear and Faith have in common, besides the letter F? A future that hasn't happened yet. Fear believes in a negative future. Faith believes in a positive future. Both believe in something that has not yet happened. So I ask you, if neither the positive or negative future has happened yet then why not choose to believe in the positive future? What do you have to lose but the fear that is sabotaging your joy and success?
I believe during these challenging times we have a choice between two roads. The positive road and the negative road. And our bus can't be on two roads at the same time. So we have to make a choice and this choice determines our belief about the future and the attitude and actions we bring to the present.
I'm not saying we shouldn't have any fear. There are times when fear is a gift. A healthy dose of fear causes us to examine our situation and plan for the future. It moves us to smell the cheese and anticipate change. When used wisely it allows us to manage risk and make better decisions. Some fear is good.
However, what I have observed lately is a supersized, mega dose of fear that is pervading the hearts and minds of far too many people. This jumbo sized fear is causing leaders and their organizations to either act irrationally or to not act at all. They are either scurrying in a million different directions because of fear or paralyzed by it. In both cases, fear is leading them to take the negative road to failure.
The answer is the positive road paved with faith and a belief that your best days are not behind you but ahead of you. With this belief you make the right choices and actions today that will create your positive future tomorrow. You continue to invest in your organization, your people and yourself. You stay calm, focused and committed to your vision and purpose. You look for ways to save money and cut costs without making irrational fear-based decisions that sacrifices your future success. You identify opportunities in the midst of the challenges and you focus on solutions instead of problems. Most of all your belief spreads to others. You impact the culture, mindset and attitude of your organization, your team and your customers through your faith and belief.
Your faith and belief in a positive future leads to powerful actions today. The future has not happened yet and you have a say in what it looks like by the way you think and act. Fear or Faith. The choice is yours.
Is fear impacting you and your organization? How are you overcoming it?
-Jon
