Love and fear are two of the most intense emotions that we will feel in our lives. They are extreme opposites and cloud the decisions we make while in a space of love or fear. All of our beliefs come from two places in our heart, either fear or love, and so our actions also come from them.
Our Hardwiring
Believe for a moment that all of our original patterns and hardwiring comes from the people who raised us and as we got older more things were introduced into our lives that either confirmed, challenged, or supported this hardwiring. All of the choices and decisions we make are a result of the beliefs and experiences we develop at a younger age. Those can also be traced back to love and fear. Think about a time that you made a decision, no matter how small, did you make that choice because you were fearful, or did you make that choice from a place of love?
Fear-Based Decisions
Fear-based decisions often come from a place of scarcity or a limited perspective. When we are fearful, we are fixated on the thing that brings us fear, cutting out any light or new information that could save us from making a better more informed decision.
These kinds of decisions can diminish trust. Even though we might be acting from a place of genuine vulnerability the people we serve innately understand that fear-based decisions are rarely good ones. They throw the systems of the organization off balance which will eventually cause people to question their role within the systems and the organization.
Love-Based Decisions
Making decisions based on love and creating a culture of love, means seeing the best in others and looking at opportunities in a collaborative and accepting spirit. Leading with love means giving people the tools and resources to do their job well and trusting them to deliver. These types of leaders take pride in the work of their team without craving recognition for themselves. Leaders coming from a place of spirit will be more powerful and honest with their language and behavior, therefore, receiving more from their key relationships.
Not only do our decisions need to be based on love, but our actions and words should reinforce and strengthen the roots that make these decisions even easier next time. Yes, you will create new and more positive patterns by making better choices. This I know and promise.
Learning the underlying motivation of your actions and being able to trace it back to that motivation helps us become more aware people, intentional partners, and determined leaders. Given the opportunity to respond we will come from a place of FEAR or LOVE. This choice influences our language, our behavior, and ultimately our relationships in the moment and the long run.
Great leaders choose how to respond, react, and lead from a place of collaboration, acceptance, and spirit of good for the whole versus coming from fear, ego, competition, and judgement. Great leaders understand the power of coming from love versus fear and realize the longer they stay in fear and continue to make choices based on that fear, the worse it gets. Followers will doubt your intentions, leave the relationship, and ultimately the organization.
Both fear and love have power. The question is, which power will you choose? Which power will you harness? Which outcomes do you desire? Ask yourself these questions and consciously lead from one or the other. See the light in the faces of others and drastically shift all your results.
“Don’t move the way fear makes you move. Move the way love makes you move.
Move the way joy makes you move.”
– Osho
In service,
Greg
Dig deeper on the topic:
Love and Fear and the Modern Boss
