George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, Grover Cleveland, Herbert Hoover, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were all U.S. Presidents.  They also all lost their fathers when they were young.

Some say that such a tragic loss can lead to a person feeling that they have crossed unimaginable terrain and are still alive.  And this gives them the perspective that there is nothing left to fear.  That no matter what they do, they have encountered the worst case scenario and survived.  It is a powerful idea to think that this mindset could allow someone to fearlessly lead and meet life head-on.

Although British Prime Minister Winston Churchill wasn’t a child when his father passed, he was only 21 years old.  Churchill said, “When we look back on all the perils through which we have passed and at the mighty foes that we have laid low and all the dark and deadly designs that we have frustrated, why should we fear for our future?  We have come safely through the worst.”

What could we accomplish if we were fearless?  If we decided that no matter what happens, we would make it through?

If all those leaders rose from the ashes of tragedy to change the world, what could we do in our own lives if we banished fear from our hearts and lived like we had nothing to lose?