Overcoming Fear
"Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself": FDR's First Inaugural Address.
I've been quoting FDR's "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" line to all and sundry lately. I really believe it's true: I'm watching fear motivate all kinds of goofy, panic-stricken, bad-for-business decisions. And I'm watching other people take a deep breath, put aside fear, and just figure out how to operate in the current circumstances – and how to succeed.
So I decided to look up the actual speech from which that quote came – and his words are eerily applicable to our current situation. Here's the opening paragraph:
Being in fear is tremendously distracting and limiting. Fear shrinks our point of view: we don't see things clearly; we miss important facts; we have a hard time stepping back and looking at the broader frame. Fear can rob us of our clarity when we need it most.
It's critical to remember, in situations like our current economy, that you can manage your fear by managing your self-talk.
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Erica: Found your website.. Enjoy your postings and supportive thinking within your blog. I have been motivated and inspired over the holidays by your words to expand my own photography into an active website and blog. ( I met you at our firm in Lincolnshire, IL about a year ago. )
Greg –
What wonderful pictures! You’re very talented…in addition, as I recall, to being very smart ;-).
And I’m truly touched to hear that my blog had a positive impact…
Very warmly,
Erika
I’ve had the privilege of spending a lot of my adult life in the presence of police officers and fire fighters who have to overcome fear as part of what they do for a living. That experience reinforces what I’ve read in academic research about the differences between those who function well in crisis and those who don’t.
The ones that do well concentrate on what needs to be done. The ones that don’t think about what will happen to them. The logical conclusion then is that when you feel fear wrapping its frosty fingers around your heart, taking simple actions, moving in the right direction is a good antidote.
Wally,
I love that distinction, and I’ve absolutely found it to be true in my life. In difficult or frightening situations, when I focus on what I need to do, I’m OK. When I let my self-talk center on all the bad things that might happen…yikes! It’s paralyzing.