Do Not Take Counsel of Your Fears
"Do not take counsel of your fears."
General George S. Patton
Fear is perhaps the greatest stumbling block to achieving success; but many of us do not flee from fear...we embrace it.
Are you afraid of doing something? Do you let your fear of the unknown alter your course? Are you afraid of failure, or success, or death, or life? Are you so afraid of financial ruin that you ignore the things that would deter it? Are you so concerned about gaining weight, that it makes you eat nervously?
Few of us will ever totally get rid of fear from our lives. Some of us will allow it to totally consume every waking hour. All of us can learn better how to control fear.
George Patton was talking about war in the quotation that starts this week's Monday Motivation; certainly, few of us are involved in war, but we're still involved in fear.
"Do not take counsel of your fears," Patton said. Do you believe your fears? Do you allow yourself to stay awake deep into the evening, worrying about things that will never come to pass? Do you look on your enemies as bigger, stronger, and smarter than yourself, even if it isn't the truth? Do you make your decisions in the midst of your most fearful times, or when you're more coherent, and more positive?
Patton also said the following: "The person in contact with the enemy invariably overestimates their strength to himself."
When you look at the enemies you have in your life, whether we're talking about competitors in your business, or the troubles that keep you from succeeding to your utmost ability, you're likely to overestimate the strength of your enemy, and underestimate your ability to do anything about it. Certainly, Patton didn't make his reputation by underestimating the ability of the troops who served with him...he constantly demanded that they measure up to what he knew they were capable of.
In our lives, we are more likely to be mired down in our fear of what "might be" than we are to be stopped by "what is."
You may be familiar with the quote of Samuel Clemens. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, said he was an old man who had gone through many troubles in his life, most of which had never happened.
Our fears can paralyze us just as much as any mortar shell. Our fears can spread to our co-workers, our families, and our employees. They can turn a small problem into a big catastrophe.
And by catering to our fears, we often bring about the thing we fear the most, through our own inaction.
Do not listen to your fears. Spit in their eye, and move on!
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