Rädsla was born in Västerbotten, Sweden. She was the third of five children in a middle class family. Her parents worked hard. Her mother was a baker and her father sold chemical supplies. The couple did their best to feed seven mouths and put all five of their children through university.
Though blessed with creative talents and a sharp mind, no one could figure out why Rädsla would work in the factory for next to minimum wage. She always wanted to own her own company and make the decisions. Her strategic mind was suited for the mix of creativity and business acumen and in fact she excelled in those subjects in school.
Settling is not a wise strategy.
Zweifel is the oldest of three boys and grew up in Frankfurt, Germany. His father was an administrator in city politics while his mother owned a dress shop with her sister. His brothers were both lawyers but Zweifel remained shut down and negative to most career suggestions.
There always seemed to be a dark cloud over any seemingly bright idea. It was clear that Zweifel had the skill and fortitude for engineering but couldn’t stop from voicing his distaste for the industry and every company that he worked for during the first decade of his career. Not surprisingly, he was fired from five good jobs within that time period.
All too often we are our own worst enemy.
We expect the world to somehow know our path and if it is littered with naysayers and road blocks, it must be the world teaching us a lesson. We forget that we have control over the paths we discover.
Often we are resemble Zweifel (German for ‘doubt’) and Rädsla (Swedish for ‘fear’).
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” Dale Carnegie
So what’s stopping you?
knealemann | email
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