Today's TQ

Daily Lessons in Intentional Excellence
Monday, January 19, 2026

Are You Too Scared To Start?

Afraid to proceed? Pin down exactly what scares you. The more precise you are, the clearer you can see your fear. Often the light of day will simply cause your fear to vanish.

Isolate each fear. See it for what it is. Then take a specific action that will reduce the fear and improve your situation.

Today's TQ Challenge: Use FEAR as a Call to Immediate ACTION... Conquer that Fear by Expanding Your Comfort Zone.

Choose to be COURAGEOUS! What's one thing you've been putting off because you've been afraid to start?
Choose to be UNDAUNTED! Can you identify the exact source of your greatest fear right now?
Choose to be BOLD! Which step forward can you take to reduce your fear and get on with your task?

When you are stopped by fear, you almost always fail. Every type of fear -- physical, emotional or social -- has the beneficial purpose of protecting you from harm. However, this does not mean you must always stop. Remember this: thought directs action. Confirm the value of your goal and the appropriateness of your actions. Then, consciously choose to focus on more productive thoughts. Master this and you can act in spite of your fear -- and continue toward your desired goal.

"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right!" ~ Henry Ford

Think about it. How well and how often do you actually DO Act Now Factor 10D?

"I use fear as a call to action, and act without delay to reduce the threat."

A high commitment (10D rated 8 or better) suggests you are a person whose answer to a fearful situation is to take immediate action. Rather than sit and worry, you do whatever you can to resolve or reduce the threat. You change your focus from what you fear, to what you want and can do. You gather information, seek expert opinions, change direction, increase performance, sharpen skills and make better plans. You get help when needed, shore up defenses and take any action necessary to improve the situation.

On the other hand...

A lack of commitment suggests you are someone who does more fretting than fixing. Progress stops when you are confronted with a fearful situation. Lacking the personal strategies to keep going in spite of the fear, you tend to avoid the situation rather than resolve it. It's easier to skirt the issue, delay the conversation or divert yourself with unrelated tasks. Unfortunately, these strategies never really improve your situation, and you remain a victim to the fear for as long as it exists.

What happens when you CHOOSE to do Factor 10D a bit more frequently?

You gain immediate power over your fears by taking a positive forward action. You accumulate performance positives like "Courageous, Committed and Undaunted" -- immediately moving you towards the results you expect.

What happens when you FAIL to consistently do Factor 10D?

You are robbed of all personal power until the cause of the fear goes away. Negatives like "Fearful, Intimidated and Paralyzed" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.

Now Ask Yourself This...
Is Factor 10D Causing You Problems?

If you believe this factor is a key performance obstacle -- and that it's preventing you from realizing your personal dreams and goals -- then you need to improve it.

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This PDA version of Today's TQ is provided by ThinkTQ.com, the leader in personal perfomance and intentional excellence.