“Fear is a core emotion. A life without fear is an unhealthy life.

If you take your kids to the creek to swim, you'll have a lot of fun, but you'll also be on alert. That's good. That's proper. Fear is fine. You need it. If someone came to you at the creek and offered you a pill so that you won't worry as much about your kids, you'd tell 'em to shove the pill.

Proper fear is part of the package of responsible, adult living. Today, too many doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and well-intentioned do-gooders want to reduce anxiety or eliminate fear from decision making.

They've got it backwards. Focus not on wiping out your anxiety, but on directing your anxiety to worthy ends. Focus not on reducing your fear, but on building your courage – because, as you take more and more responsibility for your life, you'll need more and more courage.”