Fear Stops Life, Not Death

Fear masquerades as our protector, but it's secretly our prison guard. In this powerful episode, I return after a brief hiatus to explore the fundamental truth that most of us misunderstand about fear – it doesn't actually stop death, it stops life.

Having recently experienced my own business ebbs and flows at the bagel shop, I've faced those familiar waves of fear that wash over entrepreneurs during slow periods. This personal experience serves as the perfect backdrop to examine how fear operates in our daily lives. While certain fears legitimately protect us from physical harm, the vast majority simply paralyze rather than protect.

The most dangerous deception is how subtly fear disguises itself. It doesn't always appear as panic or terror; more often it's the quiet voice saying, "I'm not ready yet," "Maybe next year," or "What will others think?" Drawing on Anaïs Nin's profound insight about the pain of remaining a bud versus blossoming, we explore those crossroads moments – the job applications never submitted, books never written, businesses never launched. I've personally met countless people who dreamed of opening a bagel shop in our town but let fear hold them back, while I chose to push ahead despite the same uncertainties.

The real tragedy isn't failure – it's reaching the end of your life having never truly lived. You don't need to become fearless to change your life; you simply need to decide that fear no longer gets the driver's seat. What dream have you been postponing? What leap are you ready to take? Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this message, and together let's choose living over merely existing.

Instagram: @mikemuldoonlc
Website: www.themikemuldoonpodcast.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/mike-muldoon-podcast

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everybody, welcome to this episode of the
Mike Muldoon Podcast.
Yes, I know I've been away afew weeks, so it's crazy.

(00:32):
I think I'm gonna be able toget more consistent out my
podcast because I'm down here inmy office.
I finally got my office set up.
Um, at my shop I have a officespace and if you can hear a
little humming, that's probablyone of the generators or
something going on.
So I apologize for that, butit's been crazy.
I've been very fortunate, we'vebeen busy, but you know, it's
still no matter what.
It's.
Still sometimes I could feelscary.

(00:55):
We just suddenly had a busyseason not a busy season, a slow
season because schools went out.
All of a sudden, you see a dropin sales, you see a drop on
customers, you see a drop oneverything.
So of course, fear starts risingand again, as I often talk
about in life, fear is the onething that holds most people
back.
Fear is the thing right, andthe thing about it, and this is
what I'm going to talk aboutagain.
I'm probably always going totalk about it because it's the

(01:23):
one does.
But here's the thing, and weall, and we all assume that fear
is there to stop us fromhurting ourselves by having fear
.
It stops us from really, youknow, from, uh, doing damage to
ourself.
But the truth of the matter isfear, fear doesn't stop.
Let's just say the biggestthing Fear doesn't stop death,
it stops life.
So the thing is, most peoplethink fear is there to protect

(01:44):
us, and sure, sometimes it is.
I mean don't jump off a cliff,don't run with scissors, don't
microwave metal which, you'd besurprised, one of my employees
did one time.
There are certain fears thatreally do serve us, but most of
the fear we carry, it's notprotective, it's paralyzing, it
doesn't keep us alive, it keepsus from living Because fear
again doesn't keep us alive.

(02:05):
It keeps us from living becausefear again doesn't stop death,
it stops life, and that's whatwe're going to talk about.
Here's the truth.

(02:40):
No one tells you.
You can be alive, breathing,heart beating, and still feel
dead inside.
Why?
Because you've silenced everyinstinct, ignored every calling
and let comfort smother yourpotential.
I've talked about this, right.
Nothing good comes fromuncomfortable, because when
we're comfortable we'recomplacent, right, and the thing
is, it's not always dramatic,right?

(03:01):
Fear is really this big,dramatic thing like, oh my God,
it's a fear.
It just, it shows up in small,quiet ways it's like oh you know
, I'm really not ready, I'll doit later, maybe I'll do it next
year.
What if I fail?
What will others think?
Now if you read my book FiveBasic Keys to Living
Successfully in Between, I talka lot about that one, you know.
But that voice, that's notcaution, that's just fear in

(03:23):
disguise and it's stealing yourtime.
And not just that, but it'sstealing your dreams.
There was an author.
I forgot what her name was.
I want to say it's like AnaisNin.
She basically wrote this quoteone time.
I'm a big quote guy.
If you listen to my podcast youknow what it says.
And the day came when the riskto remain tight in a bud was
more painful than the risk ittook to blossom.

(03:44):
And that is so true.
I mean, that's the crossroadswe all hit eventually,
especially if we want to trysomething new.
You know, life eventuallypresents things for us and then
we have to make a decision.
But a lot of times for peoplethe crossroads is you know, it's
the job they don't apply forright, it's the book you don't
write because you've beenthinking about writing a book.
The love you don't pursue.

(04:05):
The book you don't writebecause you've been thinking
about writing a book.
The love you don't pursue, thebusiness you don't start.
I mean, I could tell you howmany people have come up to me
since I've opened up this bagelshop in a town that was craving
a bagel shop said.
You know, I always thoughtabout opening up a bagel shop
here.
I always thought it.
All my friends thought about it.
Everybody thinks about it, butguess what stopped it?
Probably the fear.
The fear of what if it doesn'twork?
Now I get it.
I get that fear, but I'm stillwilling to push ahead and take a

(04:27):
shot at it.
Right.
So the business you don't start, the life you never build
because fear kept whispering toyou, stay here.
It's safe, remember the body,the mind, right, just like the
body, path of least resistance.
But safe is a short-term rewardwith a long-term cost.
You can live your whole lifelike that, carefully, cautiously

(04:49):
, and reach the end never havingreally lived.
And, like I've said a milliontimes, life is about living.
Most people just exist, andthat's the real danger.
We all die.
That's the one promise lifemakes us, but not everyone lives
because they let fear stop themfrom even starting anything.

(05:11):
So here it is Do that thing,take that leap, make that call,
go all in, not because you'refearless, but because you're
done letting fear sit in thatdriver's seat of your life.
You don't need to be fearlessto change your life.

(05:36):
You just need to decide thatfear doesn't get to run your
life anymore, because feardoesn't stop death, it stops
life, and life's too short tolet it All right, life's too
short to let it.
So, whatever you're thinkingabout, whatever goal you had
because I talk to people all thetime oh, I wish, I wish, and
again we can justify it in ourminds as the time's not right,
this isn't right, I don't havethis, what I have that.
But again, you're notrationalizing, you're not making

(05:57):
a good decision, you'rebasically just dealing with fear
in disguise, and that's what Igot for you today.
Thank you so much for stickingaround with me and listening to
me and I'm sorry I've missed somany podcasts.
Since I've started thisbusiness, a lot of my life has
had to get readjusted to do this, but now I think, with the
office down here and hope thishumming isn't too loud, but my

(06:18):
office set up downstairs andhaving a good space here to work
out of, I think I should bemore consistent with my podcast
going forward.
So again, thank you so much forlistening, thank you so much
for sharing.
I see the numbers growing,which is really nice.
Find somebody right now who youthink who can use this podcast.
Send it to them and let's seeif we can make some change in
not only your life, but in theirlives as well.

(06:39):
Okay, so listen, have a greatweek, have a great day.
We're going into the weekendshortly and, as always, I got
nothing but love for you.