As the onset of winter approached some Native American Indians approached their tribal chief and asked him to forecast whether the winter would by mild or cold. The chief had really no idea and so, to be on the safe side, he told them that they must stockpile plenty of firewood. In the meantime, the chief called the National Weather Centre for advice: “It is certain to be a cold winter,” they told him. The chief, fearing the worst, instructed his people to collect more wood. Two weeks later he phoned the weather centre again for an update, and again he was told, “It will most certainly be a cold winter.” By now the chief was getting really worried and so he instructed his people to collect even more firewood. Another two weeks passed and the chief again telephoned the weather centre for an update. “The weather is really mild,” said the chief. “What makes you so sure that we can expect a cold winter?” The weather expert replied, “Sir, we know because the locals are collecting firewood like crazy!”

Message: Fear (being False Expectations Appearing Real) is the biggest killer of potential known to man. It tries to negatively influence our behaviour, it eats away at our time and enthusiasm; it causes doubt and distractions which, both demoralise and debilitate us. Being aware of and reminding ourselves of this fact helps us to see through the mask, which FEAR often hides behind.