[January 11, 2023] In college, I had a good friend who was getting a Master’s Degree in Psychology. His thesis was about motivation, and the experiments had to do with rats running in a maze. He learned that it was more to motivation than being attracted to a goal but also that your fears can push you forward.
He wanted to know what motivated the rats to run and navigate the maze quicker. Yes, food was the reward, and the starved rats were fast. But if you spray a little cat odor into the maze – rats are terrified of cats – the rat will run to that food much faster than if he is just hungry.
The lesson of the rat experiment is that if you want to run to something you want, it is helpful to run away from something you genuinely do not want. I believe this helps explain the attraction some people find in religion. All religions have a concept of Hell, which is very well developed in Christianity. You wind up in Hell when you fail to believe in Christ and do evil things.
Is there any psychological utility in the concept of Hell? And, of course, the answer to that is a resounding yes. In that way, you are motivated by fear to move forward. If you are not motivated by fear to move you forward, then you can be inhibited by fear in front of you. There may be risks of succeeding in what we are doing, but that is nothing compared to the risks of failing.
We need a vision of Hell. Define it for yourself. What would it be like if your life fell apart because of your own stupidity, willful blindness, and laziness? What is the worst place you could be in five years from now? Hell might just lurk around the corner, waiting to jump out and crush your aspirations. Use that Hell to motivate you. In that way, fear is a good thing to hold onto.
My old Drill Sergeant said to me that he would light a fire under my ass to get me moving. Yeah, that was Hell, and yeah, it was very motivating. In Drill Sergeant Bryant’s platoon, he was one tough SOB; there would be no wasted time. Our time was nonstop, from wake up at 0500 hours (5 am) to lights out (10 pm). If he found you standing around, all Hell was to pay as you got the most severe scolding of your life. Man, that was Hell, and it kept me going long after I thought I couldn’t go any further.
I learned not to waste time. When time passes, and we are standing around, that is lost forever, and the gains we could have made are gone, something to regret. And we don’t even enjoy it, just wasting time.
This is why setting specific valued goals – and a plan to achieve those goals – in your life is crucial to your future self. Once identified, then focus singly on that goal. You can then identify those behaviors that do not support that goal and should be consciously removed from your life.
Have a vision of your future. You need that, or you will not move forward. Let your fears help push you forward.
————–
Please read my books:
Gen. Satterfield wrote a 3-part series on fear and it is worth re-reading. If you have a few minutes, I highly recommend it as a baseline for understanding fear. https://www.theleadermaker.com/leadership-fear-and-other-thoughts-part-1/ Here is part one of three parts.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. Helen Keller
❤❤❤❤❤
Welcome Jasmine to Gen. Satterfield’s leadership forums. Please feel free to bring up new ideas or run old ideas by us for comment. That is what helps make us all better leaders and, more importantly, better people.
Think, then act. Fear is one of those emotions I think about. Then I use it to act properly and usefully. Make it so in your life too.
Don’t waste your time. Control your fear. I will always have fear but I can too learn to overcome it. It always being there means I can use it to help push me forward. There are plenty of things I fear and maybe, just maybe that is good for me.
FEAR, much to be made of it. Useful? You bet. ✔
FEAR, you got that right Da Man. Fear can be managed to your advantage. I believe this is what Gen. Satterfield is talking about in this article. We can manage our fears but never eliminate them. That is something soldiers understand and something they drill on daily. You will always be fearful but you can learn also to be more brave.
Know your fears. Keep them front and center. Allow them to help you move forward. That is motivation and it works.
Bless all those who believe. Let our fears of Satan help drive us forward.
Ayn Jalut, right comment at the right time. The world is on the edge. Why? Many reasons but giving up our belief in God and Jesus is just the foundation of that secular religion that continues to destroy.
“It has been said that courage is not the opposite of fear. For those who have seen battle and its carnage, we know better. Courage is the ability to conquer fear – to be able to function despite being frightened of our inadequacies, society, nature, or the unknown. Fear triumphs over us all. It is an emotion that strangles our deepest desires, needs, and beliefs. Fear supersedes all things, and it takes tremendous personal control to overcome it.” by Gen. Doug Satterfield in an earlier article. This is what I like to read when I’m here. Gen. Satterfield is certainly on top of what fear is and what to do with it as an emotion that can help or harm us.
Jo, thanks for reminding us of this quote by Gen. Satterfield and how he regularly writes about fear and how to handle it.
For those new here, Gen. S. had a short series on leadership and fear. They are worth reading. “Leadership, Fear, and Other Thoughts (Part 1)”. The first one link is here: https://www.theleadermaker.com/leadership-fear-and-other-thoughts-part-1/
I highly recommend the series and the articles that he has written give important insight into where Gen. S. is coming from and how he is able to control fear and use it to our advantage.
Thank you Karl J. and yes, I did go back and read several of these and found that the study of fear is actually common. Thanks.
— yes, thanks Karl and Guns, I’d forgotten about these.
FEAR, and to think that the basement dwelling college snowflakes of today are driven by their fear means they are looking behind themselves and running away but cannot see where they are going. Their lives are meaningless and that scares them too.
You just too funny.
Don’t ya just love USA Patriot II !!!!!!!!! I do. Great comments in the past also.
Gen. Satterfield never disappoints. And this article is another way of showing it. ✔✔✔✔✔
Sir, I enjoyed your website now for a few weeks but didn’t post because I just wanted to observe and read and think. You have a wonderfully developed blog that any one can read and enjoy. I have shared your articles with friends and they are now fans too. Keep up what you are doing ❤ and I’ll keep up reading and enjoying.
Regards,
Neat Man II
Welcome Neat Man II.
Yes, welcome. You will find many ways for a good life here. And I suggest reading a book by Gen. Satterfield.
https://www.amazon.com/55-Rules-Good-Life-Responsibility/dp/1737915529/
Another great article. Oh, I want to say that your newest book “55 Rules for a Good Life” is a real classic.
Yep, get your copy now. And if you want, download it on Amazon and read it on your Kindle device like I do.
https://www.amazon.com/55-Rules-Good-Life-Responsibility/dp/1737915529/
Thanks and always good to hear from you two, Lady Hawk and Tom. 😀
I’m new to this blog and I like what I see. Maybe I can ask for input on some of my ideas about people. Currently, I am in my junior year in college studying to be a teacher.
Welcome to Gen. Satterfield’s leadership blog where he gives out advice and helps us understand what it takes to be a good person and to have a good life. Ask any question you like.
Welcome aboard, Jessica Acia.
I recommend you purchase the General’s new book, “55 Rules for a Good Life”. It can be purchased on Amazon . I was fortunate enough to attend one of his book signings. He spends an awful lot of time with you whether you purchase his book or not. I think the book will be beneficial not only to you as a person but it will help you guide your future students. Good luck and welcome!
Nailed it Armywife. I agree.
I recommend you purchase the General’s new book, “55 Rules for a Good Life”. It can be purchased on Amazon . I was fortunate enough to attend one of his book signings. He spends an awful lot of time with you whether you purchase his book or not. I think the book will be beneficial not only to you as a person but it will help you guide your future students. Good luck and welcome!
Have a valued aim to help move you forward. And let your fears push you ahead too. Both work to make you a better person.