Controlled By Fear

I've come across two posts in my reading list in the last couple of days on the topic of fear as it relates to leadership. They basically both said, great leaders - highly successful people - the people who do great things and leave a huge legacy - everything that I want to be, are people who experience fear, but aren't controlled by fear.

I've known quite a few people who are paralyzed by fear. They don't make a decision because they are afraid of how people will react. They don't invest in the market because they are afraid that the market will tank. They don't start their own business because they can't live with the thought of failure. They don't push the edge and live on the margins because they're afraid of becoming marginalized. They don't help the poor because they're afraid of getting mugged. They don't love because they're afraid of being heartbroken. They don't submit to authority because they're afraid of someone walking all over them. They don't open the mail because they're afraid of Anthrax. They don't clean their gutters because they're afraid of falling off the roof.

I'm not judging these people. Heck, most of them actually describe a recent version of me. Just realizing that their/my fear might keep them/me from greatness. From this point on, I'm resolving to never make a decision out of fear. I'm going to trust in God to protect me and not be controlled by fear.

Reminds me of this old post: SAFE