I heard something very powerful over the weekend:
Fear is an instinct, and doubt comes from within us. Doubt is tied to emotions.
What does this mean?
Fear is healthy and natural, but doubt can be destructive.
Fear is not a bad thing. In fact, fear drives us to want to survive. Tens of thousands of years ago, fear told us to run when we were being chased by predators. In modern times, we are no longer being chased by predators, but fear is still present. When something threatens our survival, we feel fear, because we know we have to do something.
Fear keeps us alive.
Especially when we are playing to win for the right reasons – for our own reasons… reasons tied to our values, goals and visions (VGVs) – fear is healthy.
Fear helps drive us to survive.
Doubt is different from fear. Doubt is something we experience as a result of our negative emotions. Doubt, unlike fear, holds us back instead of pushing us forward. Doubt causes us not to play to win.
Doubt results in us playing not to lose.
Like with everything, too much is too much. When it comes to fear, too much can become overwhelming and debilitating. But, a little fear is healthy.
Fear in alignment with our values, goals and vision can help us:
Fear aligned with our values, goals and vision is powerful and drives results.