Tag Archives: fear

12/18/21

Let’s Be JOLLY v Fearful

It is the season to be jolly and, yet, the entire country is fearful.

We are fearful about the China Virus Pandemic, the Omicron variant, the Winter of Death pronouncement from our POTUS, some are fearful of the POTUS, and the economy, in particular, inflation.

Folks are concerned about unfettered, unvaccinated immigration to the tune of 2MM annually at our Southern border, and smash-and-grab Christmas shopping crime in our cities, and whatever crazy scheme the Congress and Brandon are up to.

There are many reasons to be fearful, but it is a decision we make. I am here to lobby against being fearful.

“I am your father, Luke. You are looking at ‘a winter of severe illness and death.’ Oh, yeah, Merry that thing, and happy the other thing. Feliz Navidad!”

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05/26/20

Fear V Danger — Perspective

Fear is an emotion. Scary things create fear. How we deal with fear and scary things is within our control. Sometimes, it takes real will power to control fear and to  deal with scary things.

Dealing with scary things is part of adulting. Not everybody is good at adulting. Not everybody wants to be good at adulting. Life is a swirl of choices. One of those choices is to be an adult about scary things.

Danger is a measure of risk. What is dangerous to one person — jumping out of an airplane, as an example — is not dangerous to another person. It is an acquired sense. You can mitigate danger through prudent action.

If you are a startup CEO/founder on your first company, everything is dangerous, risky, scary, and fills you with dread — fear. Sorry, that is normal.

If you are a startup CEO/founder on your sixth company, you are perfectly comfortable with the danger — yawn, been there, done that, hold my beer, on second thought go get me another beer — whilst it is not nearly as risky on No 6 as No 1, and it is not scary and you have no sense of fear.

You have learned how to deal with these two impostors — hat tip to Rudyard Kipling and that beauty of a poem, IF. Well played, Rudyard.

Glad I could be of service, Big Red Car, you lyrical bastard.

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05/10/20

CEO Shoptalk — Fear v Fearful

A leader is always operating on the edge. Talking to you: entrepreneurs, founders, CEOs, C-suite denizens, departmental leaders, and students of leadership.

When I was in those positions, I never thought it was lonely at the top, but when people say it is — this is what they are talking about. Being alone with your thoughts, your duties, your responsibilities, your decisions — good ones, bad ones.

Today it is perfectly fine to feel the press of fear. I would be surprised if you didn’t feel fear today. We are facing monumental changes and the fellow traveler of change is fear.

Fear is an emotion. It is an instant in time. It is fleeting. We can banish it. It does not define us.

As a leader, you can feel fear, but you cannot run your organization on it.

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03/16/20

The Cost of Panic

Hey, America, you don’t look good in panic. Let me see if I can reason with you and get you back off that ledge.

“Hi, Mom. You look great. I’m here for you.”

The Wutang Flu is a real thing, but it is something we have met before. We met it — meaning a virus for which we had no vaccine — last in 2009 when the Swine Flu (H1N1 flu) arrived. It, too, was a national emergency.

We ended up with:

60,000,000 people infected,

265,000 hospital stays, and,

12,500 deaths.

Those deaths, like the current situation, were aggregated amongst the elderly and the immune system compromised.

Back in 2009, we did not panic.

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05/7/17

Risk and the Slavery of Fear

Big Red Car here, y’all, talking risk, fear, slavery and other deep stuff.

So, entrepreneurial endeavor is a risky business by its very definition, no?

When an entrepreneur faces risk, she will generate some resultant fear. Perfectly normal. Sorry.

That fear is pervasive. Never takes a vacation and lives in her brain like an African safari worm.

So, what does one do, Big Red Car?

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12/9/15

Tapping Into Fear — Trump

Big Red Car here in the ATX on another glorious day. Going to be 75F and sunny. Yawn. On Earth as it is in Texas.

So, The Donald has created another controversy with his call for a “temporary” ban on Muslims entering the United States.

Apparently, many folks are troubled by this. Of course, we are living in troubled times, no? So what are we to make of it? Continue reading →

05/17/13

Fear — where an entrepreneur’s dreams go to die

Big Red Car here.  It’s going to be almost 100F and a bit sunny today in the afternoon.  Hoping to get some top down time this afternoon.

So The Boss is having coffee this morning with one of his CEO clients.  Nice guy.

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