Hope is a Weapon

HOPE IS A WEAPON


I spend very little time watching television
(unless Duck Dynasty is on). I limit my consumption of most forms of ‘news’ media as I would limit my eating fast food. It seems that the world is in perpetual flux and if we can’t watch a crisis, we turn the channel until find one. If there is no television to be found, we simply reach for our smart phone or tablet in order to feed on crisis. We are actually at war within our own minds.

Spirit of Fear
I fall victim to anxiety and fear at times. I spent the last several weeks monitoring my overall mindset. I decided to look for triggers that cause anxiety and fear. I found that it is very easy for me to get sucked into ‘crisis media’. The imagery, drama, emotion and intrigue entice me into watching crisis. When I snap out of this hypnotic state, I find that the spirit of fear has crept into my mind. From my conversations with friends and family, the spirit of fear has infected many. The general tone in our society has become one of unhealthy fear.  Hope is a weapon… (more…)

Fear and The Illusion of Control

When I have doubts, I sense fear. When I sense fear, I find that I am holding on to something too tightly. If I’m being honest with myself, I must admit that I am trying to control it. I need a clear picture of what I can exert control over and what I cannot.

The Illusion of Control:
1. We tend to believe we can control what we cannot (Circumstances)
2. We tend to believe we cannot control what we can (Reactions)

About the only environment I can control is the one between my ears…. And that is challenge enough for me.

I love this quote from the movie ‘Days of Thunder‘. It sums it up pretty well in an amusing way.

Control is an illusion, you infantile egomaniac. Nobody knows what’s gonna happen next: not on a freeway, not in an airplane, not inside our own bodies and certainly not on a racetrack with 40 other infantile egomaniacs.” (Dr. Claire Lewicki – Days of Thunder)

Because of the Illusion of Control, we mistakenly try to control our circumstances instead of our reaction to those circumstances and we place our faith in something or someone we shouldn’t. We doubt that which we should trust. The fruit of one is fear and the other is peace.

Fear is NOT a fruit of the spirit.

What are you holding on to so tightly that is interfering with a relationship, an opportunity, a great plan or a blessing?

Loss Aversion Hidden Cost

Loss Aversion has a Hidden Cost

“In human decision-making, losses loom larger than gains.”
– Kahneman & Tversky (Prospect Theory)

In economics and decision theory, loss aversion refers to people’s tendency to strongly prefer avoiding losses to acquiring gains. Some studies suggest that losses are twice as powerful, psychologically, as gains. (Wikipedia).

Simply put, losses have the same psychological effect as pain and have twice the impact of gain (pleasure). Our brains are wired to avoid pain. This affects the decision making process without our being conscious of it. The ramifications can be devastating. It leads to risky behavior.

The loss averse person attempts to avoid loss at all costs. But what are those costs? (more…)