Why Fear Isn’t Your Enemy — It’s Your Fuel

Why Fear Isn’t Your Enemy — It’s Your Fuel

“You either feed fear or you feed momentum. Not both.”

Let’s talk about fear.
Not the horror movie kind.
Not the “spiders in the corner” kind.

I mean the fear that sneaks in the night before a big test.
The kind that makes your chest tighten when someone asks what your major is—and you don’t know.
The kind that whispers, “What if I fail?”, “What if I’m not good enough?”, or “What if this is all a waste of time?”

That fear.

Most people treat fear like the enemy.
They think it’s a sign to stop. To stall. To wait.

But here’s what I’ve learned through two decades of teaching, coaching, farming, and failing forward:
Fear isn’t a stop sign. It’s a fuel gauge.
And when you learn how to read it right—it can drive you farther than motivation ever will.

The Real Reason Fear Shows Up

Fear isn’t proof that you’re weak.
Fear shows up because you care.
It shows up when you’re standing at the edge of something important.

The students I worry about most?
They’re not the ones who are afraid.
They’re the ones who feel nothing—because they’ve already given up.

So if fear is showing up for you right now?
That’s not failure. That’s proof of proximity.
It means you're close to growth.
It means the next step matters.
It means you're human—and still in the fight.

My Story: Fired, Afraid, and Still Moving

I’ll never forget the end of my first year teaching.

I had done everything I was supposed to.
Lesson plans, long nights, giving students everything I had…
Then, because of a credential mix-up—I lost my job.

I was devastated.
I felt like I had failed at the only thing I wanted to do.
And fear showed up hard:

“What if I’m not cut out for this?”
“What if they were right to let me go?”
“What now?”

But I didn’t quit.

I enrolled in master’s courses.
I found a way to get certified.
I walked back into education with new credentials—and a new mindset.

Not because I wasn't afraid.
But because I knew fear was telling me this mattered.
That I had more to give.
That the work was still mine to do.

That moment didn’t break me—it built me.

What Happens When You Use Fear as Fuel

Fear gives you three things—if you’re willing to use them.

1. Clarity
Fear shines a spotlight on the things that matter most.
If it scares you, it’s probably tied to something meaningful.
That test, that dream, that decision—it’s heavy because it matters.

Use that weight to focus.
Don’t run from it. Run with it.

2. Urgency
Fear is wired into your survival instinct.
When you face fear with movement, it becomes momentum.
You stop waiting for the “right time.”
You start creating it.

One student I coached kept delaying their first CLEP test.
They said, “I’m just not ready.”
But the truth? They were scared.

So I gave them this:
“You’re never ready. You move anyway. Confidence comes on the way down.”

They took the test. Passed. And kept going.
Because once you move, fear loses its power.

3. Ownership
Fear demands a decision: freeze—or own it.
You can’t outsource belief. You have to build it.

That means taking messy action.
That means failing forward.
That means showing up scared, but showing up anyway.

And when you do that?
You become the kind of person who doesn’t wait to be chosen.
You choose yourself.

How to Turn Fear Into Action (3 Real Steps)

Step 1: Name the Fear
Get specific. Write it down. Say it out loud.
Not “I’m afraid of failing.”
More like: “I’m afraid I’ll take this test, and people will think I’m not smart if I fail.”

Naming the fear disarms it.
It shrinks when it leaves your head and hits the paper.

Step 2: Shrink the Step
Most fear grows because we overbuild the next move.
We treat it like a cliff jump, when it’s really just a stair step.

Ask:
What’s the smallest action I could take right now—today—that moves me forward?

Then take it.
Not next week.
Now.

Step 3: Move With It
Here’s the truth most people miss:
You don’t have to get rid of fear to succeed.
You just have to stop letting it drive.

Let fear ride in the backseat.
Let it mumble, whine, and squirm.
But you put your hands on the wheel.
You move anyway.

Final Word

Fear doesn’t mean you’re failing.

It means you’re on the edge of something that matters.

The question isn’t, “How do I get rid of fear?”
It’s: “Am I willing to move anyway?”

You want to pass the CLEP test? Build the dream career? Choose the right path for you?
You’re going to feel fear.

Good!!!
That means you’re ready!
Use it!
Move anyway!
Do the things!