Face Fear with Hope

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Fear is a fascinating topic. Psychology Today describes fear thus: "There are many things that motivate us. But?the most powerful motivator of all is fear. Fear is a primal instinct that served us as cave dwellers and still serves us today. It keeps us alive, because if we survive a bad experience, we never forget how to avoid it in the future."

But as the author of that article explained, fear is a negative motivator.

Goodreads provides a quote from Jon Meacham: “The?opposite of fear is hope, defined as the expectation of good fortune not only for ourselves but for a group to which we belong. Fear feeds anxiety and produces anger; hope, particularly in a political sense, breeds optimism and feelings of well-being. Fear pushes away; hope pulls others closer."

Hope breeds feelings of well-being. Hope pulls others closer.

At a macro level we have an intriguing comparison of how leaders can create moodset. President Putin of Russia is using force and fear to intimidate and threaten Ukraine and NATO. President Zelensky is using hope and confidence to inspire a mood of optimism despite the overwhelming odds.

Zelensky is being rightly praised for his courage in the face of adversity. Rather than flee like the leader of Afghanistan when the Taliban came to town, Zelensky seems to be defying Goliath and rallying the citizens of Kyiv and beyond, to stand and fight rather than give up. More than that, he is inspiring people around the world to stand up for human rights and to defend democracy against oppressive tyranny.

Hope will always trump fear (pun intended), because striving for the light is more inspiring than avoiding the dark. Donald Trump's slogan when he ran for election in 2016 was; "Make America Great Again!" The positive spin attracted voters who believed that the future could be brighter than the present.

COVID 19 cast a huge shadow over all of us for several years. Early pictures of dead bodies piling up in the streets of many cities, spread fear across the globe. The virus threatened to change our way of life forever. Then came hope, hope of a vaccine, hope for immunity, and hope for a way of living with the virus much like we do with other diseases.

In my TEDx talk I referenced South Africa. The country of my birth, and a place where fear abounded before Nelson Mandela helped inspire hope by painting a different picture of how the future could be. A future that allowed everyone equal opportunity to flourish.

The first black Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi, led South Africa to victory at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He is the very embodiment the brighter future Mandela described, and Kolisi voiced his own hope which is that his country might harmonise after seeing what is possible when diverse individuals unite behind a righteous cause for good.

Dan Carter, one of the greatest rugby players ever, described the paralysis of fear if outcomes became the focus. He reflected on what hope can achieve if players remain humble, hungry, and focused only on the process. Do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. He was player of the RWC Final won by the All Blacks in 2015.

The obvious example of facing fear is David against Goliath. A young boy against a giant warrior. The difference? David had hope through faith, Goliath was used to instilling fear through physical and verbal intimidation. The outcome of that confrontation is either inspiring, or a cautionary tale depending on perspective.

In every example, hope went hand in hand with massive action too. Motivation starts with movement... doing anything is better than nothing.

At a personal level, I aspire to believe in better. Hope is more inspiring than fear so I will face fear with hope and a belief that justice and excellence will prevail. As Abraham Lincoln said; "I will study and prepare myself, and someday my chance will come."

What is Moodset??Moodset is about what you feel and sense, the atmosphere, the energy, the heart and soul of a group in a certain place.?Some call it performance climate.?Moodset is as important as mindset for inspiring excellence.

If you enjoyed this article, I would encourage you to check out my popular book on performance improvement;?Accelerating Automatic !

Tim Wigham?is Head of Performance at Exceed Energy. He is an Amazon#1 bestselling co-author of?Purposeful People ?and a?TEDx Speaker ?on the topic of Moodset and Team Performance.