So I started a new book tonight: The Radical Leap, by Steve Farber. After the first chapter though, I really couldn’t continue reading that or anything else. I wanted a certain feeling to stick around a little longer, and not be distracted or diluted with other interesting facts or observations on any subject. Here’s some quotes that caught my attention:
“We’ve been conditioned to believe that fear is bad. And yeah, fear can save your life or keep you from doing something stupid, but it can also keep you from doing something great, from learning something new, and from growing as a human being. Fear is a natural part of growth, and since growth, change, and evolution are all on the Extreme Leader’s agenda, fear comes with the territory.”
“You screw up every day, and everyone already knows it. But when you can show us that you can face your own screw-ups, when you can publicly acknowledge that you crashed and burned, when you can - metaphorically speaking - hoist your shirt in front of a hundred people to show us the scar that you earned when you fell off the mountain, we’ll be closer to you as human beings. And we follow human beings; we don’t follow idealized icons of unattainable perfection.”
“If you’re using all the buzzwords, reading all the latest books, and holding forth at every meeting on the latest management fads, but you’re not experiencing that visceral churning in your gut, not scaring yourself every day, not feeling that Oh Shit! Moment like clockwork, then you’re not doing anything significant - let alone changing the world - and you’re certainly not leading anyone else. But you’ll sure look snappy in your big, baggy pants.” [allusion to ‘posers’ wearing skater clothes for fashionable reasons, not for participating in the sport where the jeans cover up protective gear underneath].
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
love the point about how we’ve been conditioned to see fear as a negative.
the minute you can embrace it, revel in it, and learn that your progress will be stifled without it - is the minute that you can start to make a difference.
being frightened can often produce great results. as long as you don’t allow it to shut you down.
Honestly, I can’t see myself giving Fear a big hug…unless we had a few beers and shared some laughs first.