I was recently having a conversation with my wife, Dena. She was expressing concern about something and paused mid-thought. I said to her in Yiddish, 'Fir oys - finish the idea'.
She stopped and said, 'That's it! Fear oys - out with the fear'.
If I let go of the fear, the problem - or at least my paralysis around it - will be resolved.
Since then, I've shared this idea with several coaching clients who were encountering fear around a particular issue. Sometimes it was a fundraising ask. Sometimes launching a new program or taking on a bold project. In each case, the pattern was the same: when we release the fear, we become far more capable of moving forward.
Easier said than done, of course. But it's critical to diagnose the real issue. Often, the issue isn't the issue - the fear around it is.
I once heard it said that leadership is not about making the right decision; it's about making a decision. No one gets it right 100% of the time. But leaders move forward. They take the risk. They act, even knowing they won't always get it perfect.
Good decision-making begins with doing the necessary research. We weigh the pros and cons. And then we decide/act.
Spark - Chochmah.
Research - Binah.
Action - Daas.
And then comes the Lechatchila Ariber jump. Not before the analysis - but after it. It isn't foolishness. It's courage. It's soul. It's bitachon.
Fear oys.