(Un)motivated: Why Fear Is Actually Your Greatest Ally

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That sweaty-palmed, stomach-churning feeling of dread we call fear might actually be the secret weapon you've overlooked. For too long, we've been taught that fear is something to overcome or push through—but what if it's actually pointing us toward our greatest growth opportunities?

Diving into the fascinating biology of fear, we explore how your brain processes threats and why it can't tell the difference between facing a tiger and giving a presentation at work. That rush of adrenaline, cortisol, and dopamine isn't trying to cripple you—it's preparing you to perform at your highest level. The problem isn't the fear response itself; it's how we've been conditioned to interpret it.

Through a practical three-step fear reframing process, you'll learn how to transform that anxious energy into powerful fuel for action. High achievers don't experience less fear than everyone else—they simply have a different relationship with it. They recognize that the moment of hesitation when fear appears is precisely when the greatest opportunity for growth emerges. Each time you choose to act despite fear, you build unstoppable momentum toward designing the life you truly want.

Ready to flip the script on fear and start using it as rocket fuel instead of a roadblock? This episode gives you the science, strategies, and mindset shifts to transform what keeps you up at night into what propels you forward. What fear will you tackle this week? The choice—and the breakthrough that follows—is yours. Share this message with someone who needs to hear it, and join us on the journey from fear to unstoppable.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
What if that very thing that keeps you up at night
you know, the sweat-inducing,stomach-churning dread could
actually be your secret weapon?
In today's episode, we'reflipping the script Instead of
fighting fear, we're gonna useit.
Now I'm your host, shane, andtoday we are going to dive deep

(00:23):
into how to break through thebarriers that hold us back and
unlock the potential we all haveinside.
Now, today, we're going totackle something that I believe
every single person faces Fear.
But here's actually a gamechanger.

(00:45):
Now, what if I had told youthat fear yes, that same fear,
that very thing that stops youin your tracks, could be
actually holding the secret tounlocking your greatest
potential to help you to designthe life you want.
We're going to take a look atthat.
We're going to break thescience you want.

(01:06):
We're going to take a look atthat.
We're going to break thescience of fear.
We're going to look at how itparalyzes us, but actually, more
importantly, how you can usethat energy to fuel your
personal growth, your successand your journey to become
unstoppable, so that you candesign your life.
So buckle up, because we'reabout to turn your fear into

(01:29):
power.
Now let's start with somethingfundamental Fear is not the
enemy.
In fact, it's one of thegreatest signals your body sends
you that something important ison the horizon.

(01:51):
Now just think about that.
Fear itself is actually a callto action.
It's the body's way of sayinghey, some shit really matters
here, there's something at stakehere, and so you're stepping
outside of your comfort zone.
So let's get ready to perform.
But for most people, fearactually shuts us down.

(02:14):
It paralyzes us, it keeps usstuck, and that's because, on a
primal level, our brains arewired to protect us from danger.
Fear itself activates theflight or fight response, which
was very useful because when wewere out running from animals,

(02:34):
we needed this response.
Do I run away, do I fight thisintruder, this animal?
But it doesn't serve us much intoday's world when we're facing
deadlines, personal growth andour big dreams.
So what happens?
We freeze, we procrastinate, weback away from opportunities,

(02:57):
even when they're in our bestinterest.
So here's the good news, thoughwe can use the same energy that
fear brings to propel ourselvesforward.
Today, I'm going to show youhow to do that.
Now let's turn our fear intogrowth.
Before we can break through fear, we need to understand how it

(03:20):
works.
Fear is a natural, biologicalresponse.
Fear is a natural biologicalresponse.
Now, when you encountersomething that makes you anxious
, your body releases a cocktailof chemicals adrenaline,
cortisol and dopamine.
Now these chemicals are thereto propel you to either again
fight or run from the perceiveddanger.

(03:43):
The issue is, in modern life,that danger isn't always
physical.
It's often emotional orpsychological.
Public speaking asking for apromotion or taking a leap of
faith forward to your dream jobor to design the life you truly

(04:04):
seek.
Now here's the thing the braindoesn't differentiate between a
real threat and a perceivedthreat.
It doesn't know the differencebetween you facing a real tiger
in the wild and if you'rethinking about taking a huge
personal risk, like starting anew business, for example, the

(04:26):
amygdala a small part of ourbrain responsible for processing
fear kicks in and says whoa,hold up danger.
And the next thing you know,your heart rate increases, your
palms are sweaty, your thoughtsstart spiraling and you begin to
doubt yourself.
Does this sound familiar?
But this is where we have achoice.

(04:49):
You see, fear is a signal.
It tells you somethingimportant is at stake, but it's
your job to reframe it and knowhow to manage it.
The more we understand thescience, the more we can step
into our own power and redirectthat energy, the more we can
design our life.

(05:10):
Now, reframing is an art ofchanging the way you perceive
fear and using it as fuel ratherthan something that is holding
you back.
Now let me give you an example.
Let's say you're preparing fora big presentation at work.
You feel that familiar flutterin your stomach, the tightness

(05:30):
in your chest.
Your immediate response maybeLabel that feeling as anxiety or
nervousness, and that's wheremost people get stuck.
They interpret that feeling assomething negative, something
that means they're not preparedor capable.
But here's some actual truththat feeling in your chest,

(05:53):
that's your body's energy andaction.
It's your body preparing you toperform at a high level.
What if you change yourinternal dialogue?
Instead of saying I'm sonervous, say I'm energized, I'm
about to give the bestperformance.
Yet Do you see the shift?
The moment you change yourperception of fear, you change

(06:18):
your response to it, and whenyou change your response, you
start to gain control over it.
Here's a simple exercise I wantyou to try.
This is a three-step fearreframe.
First, identify the fear, nameit.
What are you afraid of?
Is it failure, rejection, notbeing good enough?

(06:40):
So, identifying it clearly.
Two reframe that, soidentifying it clearly.
Two reframe that.
What would happen if you sawthis fear as an opportunity
instead of a roadblock?
What could you learn fromstepping through it?
How might this challenge beexactly what you need to grow?

(07:03):
Three take action anyway.
Fear always gets stronger whenwe avoid it, but when you take
action, even a small step, youstart to disempower fear.
The more you act in spite offear, the less it controls you.
Remember, fear is not the enemy, it's a signal that you're

(07:26):
about to level up.
All right, now let's talk abouthow we can use fear as fuel to
propel us forward, becausethat's the ultimate goal, right,
not to simply manage fear, butto transform it into energy that

(07:48):
drives us toward our goals ofdesigning your life.
You see, fear contains amassive amount of energy, energy
that, when harnessed properly,can fuel your passion, your
determination and yourperseverance.
The problem is that most peopleshut it down or try to avoid it

(08:11):
, but high achievers, they leaninto fear, they embrace it.
Now let's break it down.
When you face fear, there's amoment of hesitation, a choice
between moving forward orstaying stuck.
A choice between moving forwardor staying stuck.
It's in that moment ofhesitation, that you have an
incredible opportunity to choosegrowth.

(08:34):
When you push through that fear, you grow stronger, you build
confidence, you reinforce thebelief that you're capable of
handling whatever comes your way.
Here's a powerful tip for youthe next time you feel fear,
take three deep breaths.

(08:54):
Then do the thing that scaresyou, whether it's making that
phone call, giving that speechor taking that first step
towards a big goal.
Just do it.
That first step towards a biggoal, just do it.
The action you take in the faceof fear is what creates momentum
.
And here's the secret the moreyou face fear, the more it loses

(09:19):
its power.
It becomes a tool you can use,a stepping stone towards the
designing your life you seek.
It's your breakthrough.
All right, let me leave youwith one final thought.
Fear is not a barrier to yoursuccess.

(09:40):
It's the doorway to yourgreatness.
Every time you feel that fearrise up, it's a reminder that
you're on the cusp of somethingbig.
You're growing, you're evolvingand the best part is, the more
you face it, the more you becomeunstoppable.

(10:00):
So here's your challenge fortoday what are you going to do
with this information?
What fear are you going totackle this week?
Now?
Don't let this episode just besomething you listen to.
Let it be the catalyst for realchange.
Take that first step, no matterhow small, and if you found

(10:21):
this episode helpful, pleaseshare it with someone who needs
to hear it.
Please share it with someonewho needs to hear it and, as
always, I am your host.
Shane, this is man, uncaved.
We need to come out of hiding.
Thank you.