Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>In the late afternoon of March 16, 2020, I went for a short walk around the grounds of African Leadership College in Mauritius, the maiden campus of African Leadership University. This was my favorite time of the day when at school \u2014 the students were the most relaxed, having finished classes and ready to enjoy dinner.<\/b><\/p>\nIt was a perfect scene\u2014Africa\u2019s bright future against the backdrop of Africa\u2019s incredible beauty. On any other day, the scene would have brought me peace, and I would have paused to take it all in. But on this day, it tied knots in my stomach as I continued my walk without stopping. As President of the university, I was about to make the biggest decision of my tenure, and one that would shatter the beautiful and tranquil picture and significantly impact the lives of the unsuspecting students…and I was afraid.<\/p>\n
The COVID-19 virus had been in the global news for a few months, and since the start of that year, my leadership team had watched its progress with growing apprehension. I had just left an all-day meeting of the full university management team, where we had spent hours discussing the risks and what-ifs.<\/p>\n
At first, it seemed like every option was equally bad. Every path seemed to lead to an unfortunate outcome. But I could not hide from the decision that needed to be made. When I examined my fears more closely, I quickly realized that it was the enormity of the decision and the burden of making it without conclusive information one way or the other\u2014the uncertainty\u2014that scared me. What if I was wrong? How would I face our students and their parents? Would I lose credibility with the university community?<\/p>\n
Regardless of my own concerns about disrupting people\u2019s routines and the beautiful experience that was the university, safety was far more important. We could not and would not lose anyone to the pandemic. It was my responsibility as President. My fear could not stand in the way of doing my job, especially when the welfare of over two thousand students was at stake.<\/p>\n
So we took the leap and sent everyone home. The reactions were passionate and varied.<\/p>\n
It turned out to be the right decision; just as the last students were arriving home after a hasty but orderly forty-eight-hour evacuation, the government of Mauritius announced an outbreak of COVID-19. The nation locked down, banning all travel and public gatherings, including those relating to educational institutions. Rwanda shut down a few days later. Had I allowed fear to paralyze me for even one more day, our students would have been stuck in limbo, unable to stay on campus or go home, struggling to access essential daily campus services, or, much worse, possibly exposed to the virus.<\/p>\n
That wasn\u2019t the first time I felt gripped by fear, and it certainly wouldn\u2019t be the last. When I feel fear, I find it helpful to examine it by working through the following steps.<\/p>\n
STEP 1: NAME THE FEAR<\/p>\n
What exactly is the negative outcome you\u2019re expecting? Sometimes, simply naming the fear makes you realize how ridiculous it is. Or if it\u2019s a legitimate fear, it helps you see more clearly whether the negative outcome is something with which you could live. I can\u2019t count how many times in my life the fear was just about being wrong and the assumed consequential bruise to my ego. Over time, I grew to see being wrong as nothing to be ashamed of.<\/p>\n
STEP 2: IDENTIFY ITS SOURCE<\/p>\n
The feeling of fear can be potent, but is its source as credible? Is the fear just based on a feeling you have or something someone said \u2013 and if so, who? Are they the person you would trust with something else that was important to you, such as medical advice or where to send your kids to school? Is the fear based on facts \u2013 if so, from where? Again, is the source credible? Is the messenger objective? Many of my fears have collapsed under this scrutiny.<\/p>\n
STEP 3: ESTIMATE ITS LIKELIHOOD<\/p>\n
Research has repeatedly shown that the human mind gives more weight to losses than gains\u2014we feel them more, remember them more vividly, and overestimate their likelihood. So it helps to put a probability on the negative outcome you\u2019re anticipating, ideally one based on evidence, not just your gut feelings. You\u2019ll probably find that the chance of a bad outcome is much lower than you first thought. Many people are afraid of the dark, but how many documented cases are there of the dark attacking someone? None.<\/p>\n
STEP 4: VISUALIZE THE BEST CASE<\/p>\n
What if everything goes right? What do you stand to gain? What would this outcome mean for you, a goal that you have, a cause that you believe in, or the people you care about? Don\u2019t simply answer these questions; imagine your dream in as much detail as possible. Visualize exactly how it will happen and how you\u2019ll feel when it does. Visualization is a powerful tool for calming your fear, boosting your confidence, and focusing your mind. Many times, our desire to achieve something meaningful is far greater than our fear of failing.<\/p>\n
STEP 5: IMAGINE RETREATING<\/p>\n
This is the antonym consideration to the point above. What if you run from this fear and choose the comfortable path or popular decision over the courageous one? What would you gain in the short term, and would that gain sustain? What would you be giving up? Who would you let down? Would you regret it later? What would this say about you and what you believe in? These questions help you realize that retreating from fear isn\u2019t a neutral choice \u2013 it comes with its own risks, consequences, and implications.<\/p>\n
To conclude<\/p>\n
Fear will always be present in the moments that matter most. It arrives when the stakes are high, when the next step feels uncertain, and when growth demands that you leave the safety of what you know. The wrong choice is to allow apprehension to rule, to let fear dictate your movements, and keep you stuck in hesitation. That choice shrinks your world and silences your potential.<\/p>\n
But there is another way. When you unmask fear, you begin to see it not as a stop sign but as a signal. Fear is simply an indicator that you are moving into unfamiliar territory\u2014the very place where learning, impact, and transformation occur. Acknowledging it allows you to strip it of its power. Instead of controlling you, fear becomes a teacher, sharpening your focus and reminding you that you are alive, engaged, and stepping toward growth.<\/p>\n
For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Christopher O.H. Williams Africa-Press – Gambia. In the late afternoon of March 16, 2020, I went for a short walk around the grounds of African Leadership College in Mauritius, the maiden campus of African Leadership University. This was my favorite time of the day when at school \u2014 the students were the most relaxed, having […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":92692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-92693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\n
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