Turning Fear into Freedom

Fear is a part of life. What causes fear is different depending on who you are. Some fear is inborn; other fears develop based on where you were raised, the people around you, and the circumstances of your life.

Just recently one of our teammates shared, “My biggest fear is of failure. It has been all my life. It is what drives me to success.” His transparency hit home with me. As a perfectionist in permanent recovery mode, that fear is mine as well; most likely, it is a fear that grips many of us. We don’t want to let people down, whether our family, our customers, or our co-workers. To move successfully forward, however, we cannot let fear stop us; we must do the work in front of us, no matter how daunting the task.

So, let’s talk about the fear of heights, or more specifically, ziplining. My wife truly enjoys it; I do not. Jumping off a platform 100 feet in the air and hoping a wire holds you up does not excite me; she enjoys the thrill, while it makes my stomach sick just thinking about it.

Or we can talk about those big Ferris wheels such as on Navy Pier in Chicago and at Niagara Falls in Canada. Several years ago on vacation, our family all went on the one in Chicago. A year or two later, my wife and kids went on the one at Niagara Falls while I, remembering my angst during the Chicago adventure, stayed on the ground and took pictures.

Fear of heights, fear of failure, fear of whatever it is we deal with…any fear we have limits our capability to enjoy life at its fullest. Two things that can help us overcome the fears in our lives are faith and trust. You now know I don’t like heights, yet strangely, I absolutely love to fly on jet airplanes. It wasn’t always that way. After flying a few hundred times in my life, I have developed a trust in the pilots who are trained to fly. I also trust the mechanics who get the jets ready to fly. And in faith, I pray before each flight asking God to grant us safe arrival on the other end. Then, I sit back and enjoy the ride in my window seat, enjoying the majestic scenery 36,000 feet below. Go figure.

Now think about your greatest fear and begin to lay out a plan to tackle it. Discuss it with someone who cares about you. Write down the actions you must take to overcome this fear. Pray about it. Share your plans with two or three trusted people who can encourage you and hold you accountable. Then, get after it. Your life will be transformed as, one by one, you turn your greatest fears into accomplished goals and a newfound freedom in your life.

For encouragement in tackling your fears, see “Fostering Fear” elsewhere in this newsletter.

Family Travel, Fun and Fears

Today’s culture can make us feel so busy that we forget to take time to recharge our batteries. Too much work can lead to exhaustion and burnout, reduce our productivity, and even make us quite boring.

Our family made a “bucket list” of travel destinations when our kids were young, and we made a commitment to save our pennies and go on a vacation every summer. We did that, and we saw some incredible places and met some great people across this vast country, Canada and Germany.

What we learned while traveling as a family is similar to what we find doing everyday life together. Certain family members love certain things that others may fear. Here are some samples from our travels:

Driving through the Rocky Mountains is breathtaking. But if the driver, born and raised on flat central Illinois terrain, fears going over the edge at 12,000 feet…the brakes get overused, they overheat, and you must pull over.
Thunderstorms and tornado warnings exhibit intense power and even beauty. However, they can lead to fear and trepidation when the hotel power goes off and the bathroom lights go out with the wrong family member stranded inside.
Roller coasters are a blast, or, they go fast, throw you around, and scare you to death.
The Grand Canyon is an unbelievably beautiful part of God’s creation, or it is very dangerous and scary when you hike a path or dangle your feet over an edge with drop-offs hundreds if not thousands of feet down.
For a family raised in small town rural America, visiting Chicago, LA, Phoenix, Berlin, or other large cities brings fun, culture, and usually a good baseball game. But to different family members, it also brings fear of the unknown, strange neighborhoods, traffic jams, safety concerns, and unusual foods.

The joys of both travel and daily living can bring us things out of the ordinary. These things can certainly challenge us; they can make us fearful and hold us back, or they can help us expand and grow.

What fears are holding you back from traveling, from seeing the world somewhere you have never experienced? Set a goal, save your pennies, deal with your fears, and put reality to your dreams. In traveling, you will learn about the world around you and a lot about yourself. Then, you will be refreshed as you return to daily life at home and at work.

"What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do."

Reflect on that statement for a moment. You may even have an immediate connection to it, with your own delinquent “to-do’s” catapulting to the center of your attention. It was entrepreneur, author, and investor Timothy Ferriss who most recently voiced this assertion in his book The 4 Hour Workweek. However, the emphasis of this month’s AGRI-SEARCH update is not focused on you as a culprit, but instead on you as a leader.

Reflect again, but with the focus on the individuals you have a responsibility to lead and mentor. No matter the situation, most would agree that it is outside of a comfort zone where the most opportunity to flourish professionally, personally, and financially exists. As a leader, we are responsible for the careers and development of others. That is a significant responsibility, and we owe it to those we lead to help them understand how shedding the cozy blanket of security should actually become your comfort zone!

Do you have the grit to not give up and stay true to the course, no matter how difficult it may be? Are you competitive and possess a strong sales mentality where every “no” is just one step closer to a “yes”?

If so, and you have a passion for connecting with and helping people, plus a strong agricultural industry background in agronomy, grain, or other areas, please contact Dave Allen. We would enjoy having a discussion with you about how a recruiting career may be a great fit for you.

Founded in 1995, AGRI-SEARCH is a professional recruiting firm providing clients with customized recruiting solutions in various niches within the agricultural industry. Our success results from our industry focus, our specialized approach to recruiting, and our staff's lifelong roots in, dedication to, and vast understanding and knowledge of the agricultural industry.

At AGRI-SEARCH, our mission states that we “are committed to serving the agricultural industry with integrity, passion and excellence by assisting our candidates to reach their career goals and helping our client companies build successful teams.”