Chartered by Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill spent 20 years interviewing and then documenting the secret to success for over 500 leaders in the 1930’s. His interview list is impressive and includes Ford, Edison, Rockefeller, Roosevelt, and Wilber Wright. The result was Think and Grow Rich, originally published in 1937 and still in print, one of the best selling business books of all times.
Chapter 15 is titled: How to Outwit the Six Ghosts of Fear. Hill identifies these six basic fears as:
- The fear of Poverty
- The fear of Criticism
- The fear of Ill Health
- The fear of the Loss of Love of Someone
- The fear of Old Age
- The fear of Death
Individuals can carry these fears, but so can groups. Just listen to any political ad in the next week and you’ll see politicians artfully playing on our fear of poverty.
And as leader, if you are carrying one of these fears, they can be transmitted to those you lead. Fear truly is contagious, just like yawns and smiles.
I like the characterization of these fears as “ghosts” – as it describes their shadowy nature. These fears float in and around us, causing angst, worry, indecision, and sense of uncontrol.
When we pull them into the light of day, we can find a number of surprising things:
- They actually are not nearly the threat we perceived
- We can face them successfully
- Some are inevitable (old age and death) and far better to reconcile ourselves and find the best way to age and die
Fear breeds indecision and inaction (think of how you often freeze when faced with danger). The antidote is a conscious decision and focused action. I find that when I am fretting about something, the mere act of facing the fear and asking myself if it is “real” takes many fears off the list. If it is “real”, then making a list of possible options, choosing one and then DOING SOMETHING dissipates the fear and worry. It also greatly diminishes the chance that the fear will be realized!
Are there other fears you might add to the list? And what do you do that is most effective to move past fear and into action?
