My morning routine is pretty simple. I get up, turn on the coffee, feed the dog, scan the national news on my tablet, shower and head to the office or somewhere. When I was scanning the news this morning I heard the exact same statement twice. The commercials said, "You don't need to be afraid . . ."
That made me wonder. Why would multiple commercials for different products
use that line? Are we a nation that is becoming afraid? Or, has the marketing industry seized upon an undercurrent of concern that is in our national psyche? Politicians use fear to get your vote. One side swears the other side is going to take your Medicare, and the other side says the other guys are going to take more taxes. "Vote for me and I will protect you!" It's marketing, and in the political scene it's buffalo biscuits designed to control you. It's fear.
Fear can be a great motivator. This morning, I watched a surveillance video of a pharmacist pepper spray a robber. The small female pharmacists took out the would-be robber and put him in the hospital because of the bear repellent pepper spray she used against him. Good for her. She should have banged him on the head in the process.
In a CE seminar last week, the speaker went around the room and asked the group what they are afraid of. They had interesting answers. Ironically, I couldn't think of anything. I guess my life today is pretty calm compared to years gone by. Fear isn't a word you'll hear in my conversations very often.
Fear can paralyze you, or fear can motivate you. What you do with it will determine how it affects you. It can make you cautious. Or, it can make you bold. Watch a mother when her child is in danger. Suddenly, she has supernatural strength and courage. She will go through fire to rescue her child in distress.
Fear can awaken your senses and make you alert, or it can make you make you cower and hide. The commercial is correct. You don't need to 
be afraid, but you do need to assess the source of the fear and determine if it is something you are willing to confront.
Starting a new business might cause one type of fear. Jumping off a bridge with a bungee cord attached to your ankle generates another type of fear. When you have determined the source of the fear, you can determine your response. You don't need to be afraid.
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