Timeless Truths on ATTITUDE & MOTIVATION

False Evidence Appearing Real

Motivation springs from one of two emotions: fear or desire. Fear and desire are equally strong motivators, but their effects are light years apart.

Fear is the negative inhibitor which causes you to tighten up and panic. It forces you to step and then trips you up. Fear defeats goals.

But as powerful as it is, fear is often ridiculous when viewed objectively. Consider a few common fears.

Ideophobia: fear of ideas
Baccilophobia: fear of microbes
Ombrophobia: fear of rain
Clinophobia: fear of beds
Scopophobia: fear of being looked at
Ergophobia: fear of work
Sitophobia: fear of food
Phobophobia: fear of fear
Arachibutyrophobia: fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth

Absurd? Yes…which is why you should know that the word “fear” is an acronym. It stands for False Evidence Appearing Real.

Fear disappears when you refuse to accept false evidence such as “You can’t,” “It won’t work,” and “We tried that last year.”

Here’s what you can do: Begin now to cultivate desire within yourself. Unlike fear,
desire emits a warm, attractive glow. It reaches out, opens, guides and encourages. Desire will motivate you toward achievement. When you feel even the slightest fear, remember the acronym F-E-A-R.

Other articles on Attitude and Motivation

Home