A few weeks ago, I attended a workshop that challenged the way I think about fear.
Someone shared the idea that FEAR can stand for False Evidence Appearing Real.
I’d heard it before, but this time it landed differently. Maybe because, in business, fear doesn’t always show up as panic or anxiety.
Sometimes, it sounds a lot like good judgment.
It can look like spending another week polishing something that’s already good enough, putting off a difficult conversation, or waiting for “just a little more information” before making a decision.
On the surface, those choices can seem sensible. Careful, even.
But once fear has planted a story, our brain quietly starts looking for proof.
We tell ourselves the team won’t cope with change, the client will leave if we hold them accountable, or we’re not quite ready to put something out there yet.
The tricky part is that those thoughts can feel reasonable, especially when experience gives them something to hold onto. A client may have reacted badly before. A team member might have struggled with change. Something you launched may not have landed the way you hoped.
But one experience doesn’t always tell the next story.
The nerves and hesitation might be real, but that doesn’t mean the danger is.
Sometimes the only way to know what’s true is to test the theory. Have the conversation, ask the question, or take one small step before you decide the ending has already been written.
Not to prove fear wrong, but to give yourself better information.
You might discover the situation wasn’t nearly as scary as you imagined. Or you might learn something useful and build a little more resilience along the way.
Either way, you gain something far more useful than fear: clarity.
So, it’s worth asking:
What story have you been treating as fact before you’ve had the chance to test it?
Remember, small steps lead to big wins.
