Two Basic Motivating Forces

"There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life." --John Lennon

Please don't ever tell me that fear is a more powerful motivating force than love. Just don't. Fear does nothing but destroy. Destroy relationships, dreams, the "what-might-have-been's." There is no power there.

Recently, I've found that I've let fear creep into my life. The unknown can loom larger at times than others, and it's easy to take this as a cue to back away or stand paralyzed. Today I realized: what would I lose if I let this fear grow to control me?

I choose love. I choose the most powerful motivator and creator. And what a relief this determination is! It brightens the unknown future, beautifies the present, and dismisses dark days past. You may submit that John Lennon was a druggie, a hippie, or simply a musician, but he was right when he said the fate of this world rests with those who love with all their being.