There's something that everyone faces but few really talk about openly.
And that's fear.
Not just the fear of failure or danger,
But the deeper fears.
The ones we avoid.
The ones that shape our actions whether we realize it or not.
But here's the thing.
Fear itself is not the enemy.
Fear is energy.
Fear is a signal.
And if you know how to work with it,
Fear can become your greatest source of strength rather than something that controls you.
So often whenever we try to really harness courage when we're facing something that we're afraid of,
We can slip into tyrannical behavior.
Because too often we run from fear or we overcompensate for it by trying to control everything and everyone around them.
Now neither of these paths lead to true strength.
So the big question for today is this.
How do we hold power and courage in a way that builds us up,
Builds up our teams,
Builds up our family,
Builds up our kids,
Builds ourselves up,
Rather than destroys?
I want to start off with a story.
A moment that changed my life and my perspective.
So many years ago,
Before I really understood what it meant to lead,
I found myself in a situation that forced me to confront my own fears head-on.
I was working with a high-performing executive at a major company.
This guy's a father,
He's a big leader,
And he was someone that I looked up to.
Someone who from the outside looked like he had it all figured out.
But behind closed doors,
He admitted something to me that really hit me hard.
He said,
I don't think my kids actually like me.
Not respect,
Not fear,
But like.
And when he said that,
It cracked something open in me.
Because I had seen that man before.
I had seen him in my own father,
And I had seen glimpses of him in myself.
That moment made me look in the mirror and ask,
Am I leading from fear or from love?
Am I embodying the warrior or the tyrant?
Because I knew all too well what it looked like to lead from fear.
To avoid vulnerability.
To grip onto control.
Because it felt safer than uncertainty.
That moment changed the way I saw fear.
And it made me realize that everyone walks a fine line between being the warrior and becoming the tyrant.
The difference is whether you use fear as a weapon or as fuel.
So let's get into it a bit more.
How do you actually take fear and turn it into power?
Well,
You start by naming the fear.
And this further greatens your awareness and taking ownership of the fear.
Most people never their fears.
They just react to them.
And the person who,
For instance,
Overworks isn't really driven.
He's afraid of not being enough.
He's reacting to his fear.
The man who loses his temper isn't just frustrated,
He's afraid of losing control.
So take five minutes today and try to name what you are avoiding.
Say it out loud.
Write it down.
Create a ritual around it and put it in a fire.
Call in the power of the elements.
The act of naming it weakens its hold on you.
So now let's talk about stepping into the fire.
So courage,
The way I see it,
Isn't the absence of fear.
It's action despite having the fear.
The first time I stood on stage to speak,
My hands were shaking,
My palms were sweaty.
But I didn't wait for the fear to go away.
I walked forward with it.
I took a deep breath.
I pressed my feet into the ground and I leveraged that fear to drive me forward.
So ask yourself,
What is one small action that I can take today where I walk forward despite the fear?
Even a micro step counts.
In fact,
Small consistent actions will always be more powerful than taking giant leaps.
So what's that micro step you can take today?
Let's talk about turning fear into power.
Channeling it really into a deep purpose.
Warriors don't fight for themselves.
They fight for something greater.
So who benefits when you step into your courage?
Is it your family,
Your business,
Your community?
Picture them and feel their presence as you walk forward where your fear turned outward becomes intention with purpose.
Fear isn't the obstacle.
The way I've come to see it,
It's the initiation.
It's not about brute force.
It's about standing firm in the storm.
I like to think of the image of a sailboat.
You reef your sails and no matter how strong the wind goes,
You ride out that storm.
You stand firm in your knowing.
You ride the waves and then when the wind calms down,
You put your sails back up and you head back into the water knowing that fear is just energy waiting to be channeled.
Consider where are you allowing fear to keep you small?
And if this resonates with you,
One of the most powerful ways I have found to turn inner awareness into external change is by having a conversation with someone.
So when listening to this today,
Who is one person that you can reach out to and share an insight that emerged through listening to this?
And take a deep breath,
Breathe your heart a bit bigger and see what it would be like,
What it would feel like to enter into a courageous conversation.
One that challenges you a bit,
Where you feel the heart palpitate just a little bit,
But you're able to walk forward.
You're able to say the words that need to be said and connect with someone on a deeper level.
Thanks so much for listening.
I'll see you next time.
