Those who motivate by fear maintain, but those who motivate by vision expand. We human beings are more easily persuaded by fear than by a vision, but fear has no transformative power. When a cause is put in our hearts, we get truly inspired. I belong to a church where the pastor constantly motivates with a cause and a vision, and therefore the church is constantly growing. I’ve also worked with individuals who motivate by fear, and I’ve seen great people with incredible talents settle for less simply because they made fear-based decisions. Fear has a tendency to grab our souls and instill doubt, which leads us to dwell on that fear until eventually we become like a statue, immobilized by anxiety. We don’t move forward and we stand still as life and opportunities pass us by.
On the other hand, a vision or a cause can introduce us to a side of ourselves that we have never seen before. When you are motivated by a vision, you’ll ask yourself questions such as:
“Where has this side of me been hiding?”
“What happened to me?”
“Why didn’t I do this ten or twenty years ago?”
The special thing about a greater cause or a vision is that it’s contagious. It spreads like wildfire because people are inspired by it! You’re constantly advancing and growing. You see the progress. You’re playing offense. You’re happy and excited about the future and the unknown. This is an environment that can’t be explained, only experienced. You won’t understand it until you’re a part of it.
The folks who motivate by fear will confuse you and instill doubt in you, but a real leader will awaken a cause within you. Fear cannot lead you to make history because fear is a stifling emotion. History has shown time and time again that the great ones who change the world did so with a powerful vision propelling them forward. Fear is certainly easier to find than vision. That is why it is the minority that is able to harness the power of vision.
My challenge to you is to choose to be the minority from here on. It may be hard at first, but in the long term you will be glad you did.