I believe that man’s greatest enemy must be fear. Nothing like fear can bring even the strongest of men to his knees. Fear grips us with a strength beyond comprehension.  If we are so aware of this power, then why do we allow our fears to rear their heads?

Think of all the examples of how people use fear throughout our society:

• Governments and tyrannies use fear to control their people and other governments.

• Parents and teachers use fear to scare children into submission and make them act in certain ways.

• Crimes are committed every day based on fear and intimidation.

• Many religions use fear to direct and control their followers.

• Businesses and bosses use fear to keep employees quite and obedient.

The examples are endless, but the most powerful and most important fear is the one which lives with inside each of us. The fear we have of ourselves failing, or succeeding, or of others not approving of our behavior or beliefs.

Imagine the things you could accomplish, or already could have accomplished, were it not for your fears…

A few things I might have done or would do are:

• To dance with reckless abandon whenever I get the urge. )

• Pursued a career in international journalism and worked on the front lines of reporting.

• Moved to New York City.

• Go on to law school and work for the Innocence Project.

It’s not to say that these are regrets or even things that I cannot still do. But I think it is important to acknowledge fears, or things we have not done out of fear,  so they do not become regrets and we learn from those experiences to avoid repeating them.

When your greatest foe discovers your greatest fear, you are defeated.