IS A BUREAUCRAT - Amazon S3 is a Bureaucrat Completed.pdfJames Skinner, Mark Victor Hansen, and...

FEARIS A

BUREAUCRATHow to Use Fear Without Being Ruled by It!

© 2007, James Skinner, Mark Victor Hansen, and Roice Krueger, All rights reserved. 1

Ideas That Can Change Your Life™ in Emotions

Fear Is a Bureaucrat How to Use Fear Without Being Ruled by It!

James Skinner, Mark Victor Hansen, and Roice Krueger

“Fear Is a Bureaucrat” teaches that a decision that

comes from fear, is driven by fear, and is motivated

by fear, is always the wrong thing to do. This book

will teach you the magic words to make your fear

go away.

___________________________________________



Fear is a Bureaucrat

The Authors

JAMES SKINNER is the founder of two global financial

groups that manage billions of dollars of assets. He is

also recognized as one of the world’s foremost business

thinkers and appears regularly on Japanese television.

MARK VICTOR HANSEN is the co-creator of the Chicken

Soup for the Soul empire and is the best-selling nonfiction

author of all time. His goal is to make the planet work

for all humanity!

ROICE KRUEGER co-founded Franklin Covey, the

world’s largest training company, and has supervised

consulting projects for 80 percent of the Fortune 500.

NOTE: Ideas That Can Change Your Life™ is a

collaboration of three of the world’s most amazing

authors, speakers, and thinkers. The first person “I” may

refer to any of the authors.




Fear: The Only Obstacle

I want to start by saying that fear is the force that stops

most people from achieving what they most want in

their lives.

So if you think about any goal or desire you have

and you look at what is stopping you, we can predict

with a high degree of certainty that the thing that is

stopping you is the fear of something.

Fear stops salespeople from making sales calls; and

even when they are making sales calls, they are not

making sales calls on the people that they ought to be

calling because of fear of rejection.

There is the fear of rejection, there is the fear of

failure, and there is the fear of success, interestingly

enough. Probably more people suffer from the fear of

success than from the fear of failure.

Whatever the fear, it does not have to stop you from

doing what you truly want to do.




Running with Bulls

One fear that many people have is the fear of physical

injury.

I once took a group of Japanese executives to

Pamplona, Spain, to participate in the running of the

bulls.

Now as soon as I said we were going to do the

running of the bulls, everyone around me said, “What if

you get hurt and what if you get gored in the butt by a

bull?”

Now that is a stupid question, because if a bull gores

you in the butt, then you go to the hospital. How

complicated is it?

What I was thinking is, if you are going to get gored

by a bull, the best place in the world to do it is in

Pamplona, because when they take you to the hospital in

Pamplona, the doctor does not ask a lot of stupid

questions like “What were you thinking?” They simply




say, “Oh, this again.” And they immediately begin to

stitch you up.

Many people fail to have dramatic and memorable

experiences in their life because they are afraid. I didn’t

let that stop me, and now I have the memory of a

terrific experience.

We arrive in the middle of the night in Pamplona,

and are going to be running the following morning. We

do not immediately go to the hotel and go to sleep. That

is a bad idea. We figure we need to have a plan. So we

go to look at the route we will be running.

The bulls start out in a corral. They will fire off

rockets behind them early in the morning, and the bulls

come running out of their pen and up Santo Domingo

Street, which is quite narrow with walls on both sides,

and there is nowhere to get away.

The only people who run here are people who have

been doing it for 20 or 30 years. They are local old men

who do not mind if they die today. Some of them




actually run towards the bulls and then run away. We

figure this is our first time here, we have never even

seen it, and this is probably not the best place for us to

be doing it.

It goes a couple hundred meters up the hill and

comes into the Plaza del Ayuntamiento near City Hall. It

is a little bit wider here; there is a wooden barricade on

the side, so you could dive under the fence, through the

fence, or over the fence.

So we are saying, “Oh this doesn’t look so bad.”

From there, the course makes a 90 degrees right turn

onto Estafeta Street. Now Estafeta Street is 300 meters

long and very narrow with walls going up on both sides.

There are a few places where there are doors, but the

local law says during the Festival of San Fermin, which

is when the running of the bulls takes place, that the

doors all must be locked from the inside.

The street then widens out a little bit, then closes up

and goes into the Plaza De Toros, the bullring.




We think, “Well, this is our first time; we will line up

near City Hall in the plaza, we’ll run, and then we’ll

jump through one of the fences.”

So we plan to get up early in the morning, which is

somewhat unavoidable anyway because the festival goes

24/7 for the whole week. We are awakened by a

phenomenal blast of rock music at 4 o’clock in the

morning. We open the hotel windows to find that they

are having a concert out back!

It is the most amazing festival.

We go line up, all according to strategy. We are right

there. We wait. The time comes and you are dressed in

white and you have a red sash on. The local custom is

that you have to be wearing red so that the bulls can

find you easier. They have to up the fear factor a little

bit.

Soon you hear the rockets go off and you know the

bulls have started running, even though you cannot see




them yet. The bulls do not like being awakened in the

morning by the rockets, and so they are running and

they are not happy about it!

I want to tell you what the most dangerous part of it

is. The reason that more people do not get killed is that

the bulls are not looking at the people. Here, as in life

generally, bad things are not hunting you most of the

time. But you are wearing the red sash, so you think the

bulls are going to come after you. They are not; they are

looking at each other. They are like a bunch of salary

men trying to keep up with the pack.

The problem comes when they make that 90-degree

turn at the corner at Estafeta Street: Some of the bulls

are unable to make the corner, and so they fall over.

And if a bull trips and falls over, it can stand up facing

any direction.

If the bulls cannot see their buddies, they look

around and they are really upset. After all, they were

awakened by nasty rockets this morning, they had to run

up this hill, they are tired, and they have fallen on a




cobblestone street; so they get up and start to look

around for someone to get even with.

This is the part where the really nasty stuff happens.

When one of those bulls ends up coming into Estafeta

Street separated from the pack, there is nowhere for

people to hide, and the bull will go after people one

right after the other. The nastiest stuff that you ever see

on TV…this is where it is all happening...

So here we are, lined up and waiting for the bulls to

come up Santo Domingo. We figure we will wait for the

bulls, do a little running, and then jump through the

fence. We have it all planned out. But as you know, life

does not always go according to plan. It turns out that

we are not the only ones who are here; there are all these

people behind us who also have to run. There are all the

people coming from Santo Domingo Street who have to

have someplace to run. The police start yelling at us,

“You came to run, so RUN!”

We start running very slowly, because we have our

plan and we know where we are supposed to get out.




We go running, running; we get to the place where we

are supposed to get out. No bulls.

Now you figure if you go to the running of the bulls,

if you run and you never see any bulls, it is not very

impressive, is it?

Some people live their lives that way. They come to

life, because they are supposed to be running with the

bulls. But if they never see any bulls, they go home and

say, “Nothing happened.” It is not very impressive.

Now we decide we are going to have to run a little

further. So we run a little further, and we run a little

further, and I am thinking, “Santo Domingo Street is

longer than I thought it was, because we are still not

seeing any bulls.”

About this time, we arrive at the 90-degree corner

known as Curva de Mercaderes hacia Estafeta. Still no

bulls!




So what do we do? We are looking to the right,

down 300 meters of Estafeta Street, but there are no

bulls. We can either chicken out, walk through the

fence, and say “We went to the running of the bulls; we

ran with the bulls; there weren’t any; aren’t we special?”

or we can go down to Estafeta Street.

Saying that you ran Estafeta Street is a big thing to

brag about at the local pubs at night.

You know there is only one way to go from here.

Either you can choose to live your life, or you can

choose to run through the fence, get to the end of life,

and say, “I went through my life and nothing happened;

aren’t I special?”

Today you also have a choice, and it is very much

like the choice my friends and I had when we arrived at

that corner.

The choice you have is to live your life and choose

to face your fear. You can choose to find out what fear




is all about and you can choose to go for it. You can

choose to brag in the local pubs at night for the rest of

your life, or you can chicken out, crawl under the fence,

and say, “We were too afraid.”

Well, we turn the corner and then we find out that

something happens when you make this choice to feel

the fear and go for it anyway: You live your life at a different

level.

Up until that point, we have been kind of piddling

along at our half-pace jog, hoping that the bulls would

catch us so we can pretend we ran with the bulls.

We turn the corner, and it is a different story on

Estafeta Street. “AHHHHHH!” We are going full-out!

We are running for our lives!

This is the choice that you get to make today: Are

you going to go full-out at the fastest, hardest pace, at

your maximum capacity and not your minimum

capacity? Are you going to become all that you can be?




We are going for it; we are running and yelling,

“AHHHHHH!” And then we hear a sound.

I need to tell you when you are living life directly,

it’s not like living life virtually. Some of you have seen

the running of the bulls on TV. I have to tell you this is

not that and that is not this. It is not the same stuff.

When you see the bull on the TV, it is just a little

thing, it fits inside the screen. But on ground zero, I am

telling you that is one big, nasty animal.

When you watch those things on the TV screen,

they are not running very fast, because they are just

going from the left side of the screen to the right side of

the screen.

Those bulls run 100 meters in 6.9 seconds. Can you

get this in perspective? You have six of them. This is not

one bull; on the TV they only tape one at a time. We

have got six bulls, all running the hundred meters at 6.9

and coming down the narrow aisle behind us!




“AHHHHHH!”

Then you hear the hooves thundering:

DADADADA. “AHHHHHH!”

The sound is getting louder! They are gaining on

you. DADADADA. “AHHHHHH!”

And then you push your back against the wall and

pray. You are running after the bulls! “AHHHHHH!”

This is how you want to live your life.

You want to be able to come back and say, “I ran

Estafeta Street with the bulls!”

In order to do that, however, you have to

understand fear: how you handle and deal with your fear.


I am going to give you the whole picture now, and I

hope it will be very useful for you. The first thing you

need to know is fear is a bureaucrat! Yes, I am talking




about the people who are working for government

offices.

Fear is a bureaucrat.

Now you need to understand bureaucrats.

Bureaucrats have a job to do. They each have a very

specific assignment.

Fear’s job is to let you know when the course of

action you are currently taking has the possibility of

negative consequences.

Fear’s job is to let you know when the course of

action you are currently pursuing has the possibility

of resulting in negative consequences.

So if you are running on a narrow street with six big,

mean, ugly, angry bulls with horns, is it possible that this

could end in some negative consequences, yes or no?

You are going to feel some fear. Is that a good thing?

Yes, that is a good thing. You need fear. You also want to




know if the course of action you are pursuing can result

in something bad. Does that make sense? You need to

be alert to that possibility.

Fear is a good thing!

Now, every bureaucrat has one rule that he lives by.

I know this because I used to work for the government.

I have been a bureaucrat. The rule of the bureaucrat is

survival!

What does survival mean for the bureaucrat? It

means you get to keep your chair. Okay, it is all about

protecting your butt so you get to sit in the same cushy

chair.

The way you protect your butt, the way you protect your

job is to never take responsibility for anything. That is the rule.

The rule of the bureaucrat is protect your butt at

all costs!




Now the reason you get stuck taking responsibility

for things is that you did not do your job according to

the rules, procedures, and processes that are in place.

As long as you have gone by the book, you are okay.

What happens is that fear, otherwise known as the

bureaucrat, comes running into the throne room of your

heart and screams as loud as it can.

Now you need to know what it is going to scream. It

is going to tell you the negative consequences that could

result, not that will result, but could result, from pursuing

the current course of action. Fear is going to let you

know.

So here is the question. If it is possible for more

than one negative consequence to result, which one is

fear going to tell you about first? The worst one!

Fear will tell you about the worst possible

consequence first!




The reason it is going to tell you about the worst

one is that it does not want to have to take

responsibility.

“What is the worst possible thing that could happen

to you when you are running with the bulls? You get

killed.” That is what your fear is screaming. “You’re

going to die!” That is fear’s job. It is very simple. “You

are going to die!”

Now, what do most people do when they hear the

fear? What do they say back? “Fear, I have two words:

Shut up!”

How many of you have ever tried that? “Fear, shut

up.” Have you ever tried to get your fear to shut up?

Does it work? It does not work. So when you tell your

fear to shut up, what does it do? It shouts louder,

because it is afraid that you have not heard.

If you tell fear to shut up, it will just scream

louder.




See, in a bureaucracy the report is not filed until it is

stamped “received.” This is how it works: It has to be

stamped “received,” and fear has to have a receipt with

your stamp on it that says, “I filed my report, and I am

not responsible.”

When we tell it to shut up and get out of here, it

says, “I am not leaving because I have to keep my job!

You are going to die!” You are telling it, “Shut up, I do

not need to hear that right now. I am running with the

bulls; I do not need to hear that!” Fear is still screaming,

“You are going to die!”

Why?

It still does not have its stamp yet! Are you following

this?

Remember, is fear a good thing or a bad thing? It is

a good thing, because it is letting you know that there

are possible negative consequences. You are getting

ready to jump out of an airplane, you are standing in the

door, and fear is shouting, “You’re going to die, and not




only are you going to die, but you are going to land on a

barbed wire fence in a cow field and it is going to rip

you in half. You’re going be eaten by cows that are

going to regurgitate you, and you’re going to be mulch

for grass.” I mean, it is telling you everything right. Is

this a good thing or a bad thing? This is a good thing,

because you want to know that there is a possibility of

negative consequences from jumping out of an airplane,

so that you can now choose to wear a parachute!

If your fear does not bother to tell you that negative

consequences can result, then you are toast! Does that

make sense? You need to know those possible

consequences so you can be prepared and make

intelligent decisions, but the decision is still yours. You

are the king or you are the queen, and you get to decide.

You need to hear from your ministers and your

bureaucrats. You need the information to make the

decision.

Fear gives you the information you need to

make an intelligent decision.




You need to be appreciative of the fact that fear is

going to all this trouble to let you know and that it will

not leave even when you tell it to shut up!

You only need to know two words. These two

magic words will allow you to live in harmony with your

bureaucrat. Are you ready? Would it be useful to know

what these two words are?

You need to say, “Thank you!”

The magic words are “Thank you!”

Aren’t you glad you have a mechanism that will let

you know whenever there is a possibility that something

bad might happen?

This is a great thing.

I am grateful that I have it.

If I have been driving home late at night, get tired,

and start to fall asleep at the wheel, fear comes out. Is




that a good thing? It says, “If you keep driving tired like

this, you are going to wreck the car and be dead.” I say,

“Whoa! Maybe I ought to take a nap. I’m glad you are

letting me know.” It is a really good thing.

So here is what you say, “Thank you for letting me

know that there was a possibility of something negative

happening, and I will now take those negative

consequences into consideration in making my decision.

I’m going to choose to live my life anyway, but I like to

know, I like to be alerted. Thank you for letting me

know.”

Now as soon as you say thank you, what happens to

fear? Its job is done, so it can leave! How cool it that? It

leaves!

I want you to practice embracing your fear: Say

“Thank you for letting me know. I will take the

necessary precautions and preparations that are in order

in this case.”




I am not going to let the bureaucrat fear dictate how

the affairs of the kingdom are run, because that is not

wise.

“Fear, you are just one bureaucrat, and you have just

one role. I am the king. My goal is to make sure the

kingdom has the most magnificent, phenomenal,

legendary life ever. In doing that, I need to be alerted to

danger, I need to be aware of it, and I need to prepare

for it where it is appropriate to do so. You do not make

the decisions. You are just a bureaucrat.”

Fear is your friend, but you are the king or the

queen!

The thing you need to know about all decisions in

life is that the decision made based on fear is always the

wrong decision.

The decision that comes from fear, is driven by fear,

and is motivated by fear, is always the wrong thing to

do.




Say, “Thank you” to get fear to leave the throne

room, and then you can sit and take counsel with

yourself about the course that you want to lead and the

course that you want to live.

When you can get to the end of Estafeta Street at

the end of your life, you can look back and say, “I lived

my life, and I dare you to live yours.

There is no risk that I did not take because I was

afraid.

There is no person that I did not love because I was

too embarrassed.

There is no person that I did not help because I

thought somebody else would help them.

I ran my Estafeta Street, I saw my bulls, and I lived

my legend.

I lived my life and I dare you to live yours!”




Fear is just a bureaucrat!

I think we all have a tendency to forget that we do

not live alone. Nor do we remember the results and the

accomplishments that we achieve alone.

For our teachings to be meaningful, it requires your

learning to be meaningful.

Life is a giant cycle: We give a gift, the gift is

received, gratitude is returned, we turn the gratitude into

love, love goes out and comes back as love, the gift is

received, and the gift is given. The gift is received,

magnified, and given again, and we create a spiral of

giving that shows the glory of God on the Earth.

It is impossible for us to give anything without the

receiver receiving, giving back, and magnifying it again.

Without being able to receive the energy of those

around, we would not be able to give.

May it become as natural as breathing for you to put

fear aside and live your life with meaning and gratitude.




With best wishes,

James Skinner, Mark Victor Hansen, Roice Krueger

___________________________________________

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