What do we have to F.E.A.R. False Evidence of Things Appearing Real.  You can take this for what it is worth.  I'd like to hear some feedback on this blog posting. I just found this.   

Nothing inspires action like finding out you may not make your mortgage payment.

I’m not a big fan of inspiration by fear, because ultimately, it’s short lived and drives most people to find an alternative to the task (find another job) rather than an alternative to the goal (work harder, smarter).

But let’s face it – we certainly do act when our own money is at stake.

Big Company, Small Incentive

You see this most often at big companies.  I used to consult with lots of big companies at my ad agency,Blue Diesel, and I was always amazed at how slowly everyone was willing to act.

Taking bureaucracy (first time I’ve spelled that correctly on the first try) out of the equation, the people themselves, smart as they may be, just aren’t motivated enough.

If you’re the CMO of a big company and someone comes to you with a great idea, what’s your motivation to get it done quickly?  I don’t mean within this quarter, I mean tonight. Not much.  MegaCorp is going to get paid just about the same, and so are you.

Small Company, Big Incentive

Now when you’re a startup, you have all the incentive in the world to act tonight because you personal paycheck is tied to it.

I’m not just talking about the reward, I’m talking about the incentive behind it.  Like not eating.  Or paying rent.  Or losing what you own.

A Paycheck is a Sleeping Pill

Knowing that payhceck is there every week is like taking a sleeping pill.  It slows you down because you have the luxury of inaction.  The moment you are fully paid you lose that edge.  You’re simply motivated by greed, which is like drinking caffeine.

But fear.. fear is like mainlining meth.  It excites the senses and puts you in full gear. You can’t run forever on it, but while you do, you are firing on all cylinders because your goal is so incredibly clear.

Fear, for lack of a better word, is Good

Nothing gets stuff done faster than fear.  Fear has a deadline that cannot be surpassed.  Fear is certain.  Everyone on the team understands fear, it doesn’t require aTony Robbins stand-in to communicate it.

I hope that you have some level of fear in your life.  I hope you use that fear to engage yourself to your fullest.  Perhaps you don’t need it.  Perhaps your passion does it for you (congrats, that’s pretty amazing). 

But for the rest of us (and yours truly), nothing takes the place of fear when it’s time to get stuff done.

Embrace fear.