The F-Word

Over on Copyblogger, a good reminder of a bit of common wisdom:

"[snip…]Yep, it’s the “F” word.

Fear.

Fear affects us all more than we care to admit, and it’s especially insidious for writers. Writing online is one of those activities where you’re really putting yourself out there, and the critics are always waiting to pounce. But as we’ll see below, failure and mediocrity are not the only things we fear.[snip…]" (from Copy Blogger: The Nasty Four Letter Word…)

I cite this because reading it reminded me of a cute but fairly profound play on the word FEAR:

F.E.A.R = "False Evidence (or Expectations) Appearing Real"

I don't remember where I first heard it. I did some digging and googling and found these references for your further edification. You can see that it's been around a while and has been used in all kinds of contexts…

• Empowering Caregivers - F.E.A.R

• SoberRecovery - Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Help and Information

• Beliefnet - Controlling Anxiety so it Doesn't Control You

• And many many more