“F-E-A-R has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ The choice is yours.”

You may have heard of the acronym F.E.A.R representing the phrase “False evidence appearing real”. But this isn’t the only way the word fear has been turned into an acronym. This quote, by Zig Ziglar, offers two additional phrases from the word fear: “Forget Everything And Run” and “Face Everything And Rise”.

What is so beautiful about these two phrases is that they offer a choice between two different meanings we can give to fear. It can either mean something we forget and run away from or something we face; and in the challenge that comes from facing our fear, we’re able to rise.

Unfortunately, we’re more inclined to forget everything and run. This option and meaning not only aligns more with our human instincts, it also aligns with the dictionary definition of fear. However, this quote reminds us to consider the possibility and opportunity we all have in facing our fears and rising from it.