about what we think about ourselves.
You’re not alone.
We’re all afraid.
How often I tell people that — wherever I go.
It seems to be my calling.
And our biggest fear, the one we live with daily doesn’t really sound big enough.
It’s not nuclear war, or terrorists, or even being homeless.
… though we have deep and sincere respect for dangers implied by those and more.
But our biggest fear is more dear and much closer.
We’re afraid of the ideas of ourselves we carry in our heads.
We’re afraid of not being seen, not being heard, not being understood.
We’re afraid of being lost without someone to show us how to find our way home again.
It’s not so crazy when the state of the economy has led us to question everything we’ve learned about authority and trust in leadership. It’s not crazy when we’ve learned to follow paved roads to everywhere we go. It’s not so crazy when we’ve learned what behaviors get us the right kind of attention … or they did when companies still cared about employees more than the bottom line.
The skies might be gray and you should know that.
But that’s a fact … not a mood-setting necessity.
Grey doesn’t have to mean bad times or things to fear.
Face the fear. Acknowledge the reality. And move on.
Put a new idea of yourself in your head.
Decide that people will see, hear. and understand — value the people who do and move away from those who don’t.
Move in the direction you would show your best friend or your child to go.
You’re bigger than the biggest fear.
Let yourself know.
Let the fear pass over you.
Move forward.
Be irresistible.
This is just what I needed to read today. Thank you! I really liked the “paved roads to everywhere.” As a business professional raising two daughters on my own, I get locked into the paved road mentality. I have been told it’s stable to the point where nothing looks better even though it’s a career and not a passion. I like the idea of moving my dream forward to show my daughters that there are other roads. Thank you!
Liz, thanks for being a living demonstration of this every day of your life. You inspire us all!