Latest / Inspirations for Your Life / Light vs. Fear: How to Move Even When You’re Scared (S5) S5:E4

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Light vs. Fear: How to Move Even When You’re Scared (S5) S5:E4 · Inspirations for Your Life

0:41
Hello, everyone, it's great to be with you
0:43
on Inspirations for Your Life.
0:46
I'm John Seymour, your host.
0:48
Thanks so much for joining in.
0:50
It is Tuesday.
0:51
It's January 27, 2026, and we're talking all
0:56
about unity versus division, how ego splits friend
1:01
groups, teams, and communities.
1:03
I think sometimes this can be a very
1:09
big challenge for a lot of people, but
1:13
I can tell you that this is something
1:15
a lot of people don't really understand sometimes.
1:20
They don't really get what's going on or
1:24
why something's going on.
1:26
They get stuck in the lurch.
1:30
That's probably the best thing I can say
1:32
to you.
1:33
I hope that you all are having a
1:35
very great week.
1:38
Success is not something that just happens overnight,
1:41
guys.
1:43
It is something that we have to keep
1:46
thinking about.
1:49
It's something that we have to keep working
1:51
toward.
1:52
All right.
1:57
That's the most important thing I have to
1:59
say to you.
2:01
If you don't understand those things, then you're
2:07
going to be, I'm going to say, very,
2:09
very, very, very lost, all right?
2:14
Not because you want to be lost, but
2:18
because, well, you are lost.
2:22
And so sometimes we do something, but then
2:28
we don't always know why we're doing it
2:30
or what we're doing.
2:32
I think that can become a huge problem
2:34
for, I'm going to say, a lot of
2:37
people, all right?
2:38
A very, a lot of people.
2:42
And when we think about these things, we
2:46
get stuck because we don't necessarily understand things
2:51
like light and fear and where these things
2:54
are propelling us toward.
2:55
Hopefully they're motivating us to do something really
2:58
great.
2:59
First of all, guys, if this is your
3:00
very first time joining me on Inspirations for
3:02
Your Life, I want to take this opportunity
3:05
to say welcome, and I want to say
3:08
thank you to you for deciding to watch
3:11
or just listen to the show.
3:14
It is really a privilege and a pleasure
3:16
to be with all of you here tonight
3:19
on the Inspirations for Your Life show.
3:23
If you're coming back, of course, guys, I
3:25
want to say thank you and I want
3:26
to say welcome back.
3:28
It is a privilege and, of course, a
3:31
big pleasure.
3:32
If you have been here before or not,
3:35
don't forget to check out BelieveMeLive.com.
3:38
We're talking more about mastering light versus fear,
3:41
how to move even when you're scared.
3:43
And I know this can be hard for
3:45
a lot of people.
3:46
By the way, if you're thirsty, grab yourself
3:47
some water or a snack, a fruit, some
3:49
juice, healthy or not, that's up to you.
3:52
So welcome back to Inspirations for Your Life.
3:54
I am John Seymour, a serial entrepreneur, engineer,
3:58
marketing specialist, video producer, podcast host, coach, keynote
4:02
speaker, graduate student, and yes, guys, a passionate
4:05
lifelong learner.
4:07
Today or tonight's conversation is about something every
4:10
single one of us faces, whether we admit
4:14
it or not.
4:15
That's fear, false evidence appearing real.
4:17
Not the obvious fear, not the horror movie
4:20
fear, but the quiet fear that delays decisions,
4:24
softens our voice, and convinces us to wait
4:27
for a future version of ourselves that somehow
4:30
never arrives.
4:32
There's an ancient line that says, the Lord
4:34
is my light, whom should I fear?
4:37
We're not taking this as theology today.
4:40
We're taking it as mindset.
4:43
Light represents clarity, direction, truth, and self-trust.
4:47
Fear represents uncertainty, imagined danger, and emotional protection.
4:53
The mechanisms that are often outdated, guys.
4:56
This episode tonight is about learning how to
4:59
move forward even while your hands shake.
5:03
You don't need fear to disappear.
5:05
You need light to be louder.
5:09
Fear and the schedule it controls.
5:12
Fear often hides your calendar, that one thing
5:16
you kept pushing to the next week.
5:18
That's not procrastination, guys.
5:20
That's fear with a planner.
5:23
Our first point is that one fear that
5:26
has way too much power over your schedule,
5:29
you know what I mean, the one that
5:31
kind of debilitates you, the one that makes
5:35
you procrastinate.
5:36
You know what I'm talking about.
5:38
Number two, fear doesn't always yell.
5:40
Sometimes it sounds like, maybe next week, maybe
5:44
tomorrow, maybe another time.
5:47
When it's soft and subtle, we think it's
5:51
okay, but we have to push back a
5:54
little bit.
5:55
Intuition versus anxiety.
5:57
One of the hardest skills to learn is
6:00
telling intuition from anxiety.
6:02
Intuition is calm, clear, and steady.
6:04
Anxiety is loud, urgent, and yes, repetitive.
6:08
Number three, how to tell the difference between
6:11
intuition and anxiety.
6:12
Number four, how to tell the difference between
6:12
intuition and anxiety, micro-bravery, 10-second decisions
6:16
that change your month.
6:18
Naming the fear.
6:20
When you say, I'm just overthinking, what you're
6:22
often doing or meaning is, I'm scared to
6:25
move.
6:26
Naming fear takes away its mystery.
6:29
Number five, why I'm just overthinking is really,
6:33
I'm scared to move.
6:36
I don't know if I'm going to be
6:38
okay if I move.
6:40
Number six, guys, the fear of being seen
6:43
failing is bigger than the fear of failing.
6:48
Moving with fear-courage isn't confidence.
6:51
Courage is action in the presence of fear.
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I think that's something a lot of people
6:56
miss.
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Number seven, yes, I admit I'm nervous, but
7:00
I'm doing it anyway, right?
7:02
Fear the fear that you have and do
7:05
it anyway.
7:05
Number eight, show your hands shaking while you
7:10
do the thing anyway.
7:12
Where fear hides, fear often runs, three areas
7:17
quietly, money, love, and visibility.
7:22
Number nine, guys, three areas where fear secretly
7:25
runs your life, it's important to understand them
7:28
and know that we should not be afraid
7:31
of any of them.
7:33
Number 10, guys, why your nervous system thinks
7:36
new opportunities are threats.
7:39
It's pretty easy.
7:41
The nervous system is designed to keep us
7:43
alive, right, the fight or flight mechanism.
7:45
And when something comes in that seems different
7:49
or uncomfortable, our nervous system fights back to
7:53
try to protect us, right, survival.
7:57
Guidance over fearlessness.
7:59
You don't need to be fearless.
8:01
You need to be guided by values, clarity,
8:04
and intention every single day.
8:06
Not just one day, not just one moment,
8:10
not just for even one thing.
8:13
You have to do it consistently.
8:16
Number 11, you don't need to be fearless.
8:20
You need to be guided.
8:22
And I think sometimes when we think about
8:24
that whole notion, people get a little bit
8:27
confused.
8:28
They get a little bit, how can I
8:31
say, lost.
8:33
Number 12, how to build a courage routine
8:37
for days you want to hide.
8:41
I know sometimes you might say, gee, you
8:43
know, I can't get on stage or I
8:45
can't present or I can't face that person.
8:49
I can't face that client.
8:50
I can't face that friend.
8:53
I can't face that situation.
8:57
You're stronger than you think.
9:00
And realize that fear is just false evidence
9:04
appearing real.
9:05
And what it's doing is it's getting you
9:06
to procrastinate and it's doing a very good
9:08
job of it.
9:09
Number seven, social fear, sometimes fear isn't internal.
9:14
It's reinforced externally.
9:17
And this is the seventh major, let's say,
9:22
tetran.
9:23
It's not the point.
9:23
But it's the tetran of what we're working
9:26
toward.
9:27
Number 13, the friend who feeds your fear
9:31
with be careful energy, fear disguises itself as
9:37
perfectionism.
9:38
I know.
9:39
I've been through it.
9:41
And I'll say what I've said many times
9:42
before, done is better than perfect.
9:45
I know we all want it to be
9:47
done just perfectly, so correctly.
9:49
But again, done is better than perfect.
9:53
We can always go back and do it
9:55
again and again.
9:57
The next level, growth rarely feels safe.
10:01
It feels unfamiliar, but right to us.
10:04
And sometimes we need a little bit of
10:06
a break.
10:08
Your next level won't feel safe.
10:10
It will feel uncomfortable, but right.
10:14
Negotiating with fear like an overprotective parent.
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I think that's an important one.
10:20
Identity shifts.
10:22
One day you walk into a room you
10:24
feared and realize you belonged.
10:28
And that might be something that actually wakes
10:30
up not just you, but your entire nervous
10:32
system and how you approach and deal with
10:35
life.
10:37
Number 17, point of view.
10:40
You belong now.
10:43
One breathing trick for hard conversations.
10:46
You belong.
10:48
You deserve to be here.
10:51
It's not a privilege.
10:54
It is your right to be here.
10:58
That's hard for a lot of people to
11:00
grasp.
11:02
After action, courage doesn't end when the action
11:06
is done.
11:07
You have to keep keeping on.
11:10
It's that victory that we have that propels
11:14
us forward and gives us the energy to
11:15
act again and again and again.
11:19
Number 19, guys, handling post-action shame.
11:26
Maybe you've done something.
11:27
You're not proud of it.
11:28
The best way to handle this is to
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do what is right.
11:34
To do what's right even when no one
11:37
else is watching.
11:38
I've said this many, many, many times in
11:41
the past.
11:43
Do it when no one else is watching,
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not just when they're watching.
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That's important.
11:50
That's what builds the character within us.
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Number 20, guys, rejection is proof.
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You're in the arena.
11:59
So why are you giving up?
12:02
Why are you saying, I'm not good enough?
12:05
Why are you doing all these?
12:06
I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not.
12:09
When really you are, you are, you are.
12:12
Start to believe in yourself and you'll see
12:15
how much it changes you.
12:17
Flipping the script, what if it actually works?
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I'm here to tell you it does.
12:23
Many times people play devil's advocate.
12:26
Why not reverse that and actually play in
12:30
a way that works out?
12:32
Start imagining things working out instead of things
12:35
not working.
12:35
Start imagining things actually working out.
12:39
Number 21, flip the script, flip the anxiety
12:44
script.
12:45
When you're so nervous and you can't breathe
12:48
or you can't hold something, that's your nervousness
12:52
in action.
12:54
Take a deep breath.
12:55
Relax.
12:56
It's going to be OK, I promise.
13:00
Why growth feels like danger to the body?
13:04
Here's why.
13:05
It's protecting itself.
13:07
It's fight or flight.
13:09
And the body doesn't like to get involved
13:11
with things that are, well, uncomfortable.
13:15
You guys before, it's in the uncomfortability that
13:20
success actually lies.
13:22
In the uncomfortability, that's where success lies.
13:27
But today, I'm talking about every single day
13:29
of your life.
13:30
That is where success lies.
13:34
And that's important to know.
13:39
Language matters, guys.
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Words shape fear.
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I'll give you an example.
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Attorneys use words to shape fear.
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Now, you might be saying to me, John,
13:51
that's crazy.
13:52
Well, I'm going to tell you that it's
13:54
not crazy.
13:55
It is actually the truth.
13:57
So how do attorneys, let's just say, if
14:02
we had to ask ourselves this very, very
14:04
important question, how do attorneys use words to
14:08
create fear?
14:10
How do they do that?
14:12
Does anybody know?
14:14
It's a very interesting skill they have.
14:19
Now, the skill may not always be ethical.
14:23
But they use language in a very distinct
14:29
and deliberate way to create pressure, urgency, or
14:31
perceived risks, sometimes to protect the client, sometimes
14:35
to push the other side toward compliance or
14:37
settlement.
14:38
And the most common way, legal language creates
14:42
fear, explained really basically.
14:46
At ambiguous threat, lawyers rarely say, we will
14:49
do x.
14:49
Instead, they write things like, we're evaluating all
14:52
available legal remedies.
14:54
This matter may result in further action.
14:56
Failure to respond could have consequences.
14:58
Your brain fills in the worst case scenario.
15:04
Formal authoritative tone, passive voice, long sentences, complex
15:08
structure that boggles our mind.
15:10
Something serious is happening, and I'm already behind.
15:14
Time is of the essence.
15:16
Immediate attention required.
15:18
Respond within 10 days.
15:19
Urgency increases anxiety and reduces critical thinking power.
15:23
Words like liability, exposure, breach, damages, sanctions, they
15:29
don't really sound too good, do they?
15:32
But they get us to act.
15:34
Attorneys often outline things like maximum penalties, hypothetical
15:38
outcomes, the most extreme interpretation of events.
15:43
Authority signaling things like case citations, statutes of
15:47
limitations, letterhead, CCing parties.
15:51
We have power, precedent, and backup.
15:53
They also use silence.
15:54
After sending a heavy letter, lawyers often go
15:57
quiet.
15:58
Rumination, assumption, escalating anxiety.
16:02
Conditional language like, if this matter is not
16:05
resolved.
16:07
Absent, a sub-satisfactory response.
16:11
They'll tie consequences to your personality.
16:14
You may be held responsible.
16:15
Your actions expose you to maybe strategic uncertainty.
16:19
They don't clarify things.
16:21
What action they'll take.
16:22
What they'll take it to.
16:25
How strong their case is.
16:28
Legal language is often performative, not predictive.
16:32
Many scary letters are opening positions, negotiation tactics,
16:36
designed to provoke response, not litigation.
16:39
Most attorneys don't want to go to court.
16:42
They want to settle.
16:45
And that's important to understand.
16:49
Don't respond emotionally or immediately.
16:51
Take the time.
16:53
Get a neutral explanation if needed.
16:55
Separate possibility from probability.
16:58
Read for what is actually stated, not implied.
17:01
And I think understanding that a lot of
17:04
it is legal jargon, and it scares a
17:06
lot of people.
17:07
I'll be honest with you.
17:09
Words in the legal arena, they create fear.
17:13
They also do another thing.
17:14
They remove the attorney and their client or
17:17
their corporation from even having the possibility that
17:24
they're responsible.
17:25
A lot of times they settle, and they
17:27
say by settling, we're not admitting guilt.
17:30
So what the heck are they doing?
17:32
It's very interesting.
17:35
Three fear sentences to stop using.
17:38
I've given you a lot.
17:40
But if you don't do this, I will.
17:44
If this matter is not resolved by X,
17:50
you don't want to say I'll take you
17:51
to court.
17:51
That's a threat.
17:52
If this matter is not resolved, I'll need
17:55
to seek other options.
17:57
Never use court as a threat, because that
18:05
could be held against you in harassment.
18:10
Number 24, realizing the person you feared is
18:13
human.
18:14
What I found with a lot of attorneys
18:17
is their bark is very strong behind the
18:20
telephone or at the bench.
18:24
But when you come to see them, they're
18:27
like a puppy dog.
18:29
It's an act.
18:32
Staying power sometimes, courage is staying.
18:36
Number 25, the quiet flex, staying when you
18:41
want to run, when every bone, every ligament,
18:45
every part of your body says get out
18:47
of here.
18:48
Number 26, guys, how to self-soothe after
18:52
hard decisions.
18:54
Seeing possibility, representation reduces fear.
19:00
Number 27, seeing someone like you do the
19:04
thing gets people to respond, gets people to
19:08
change their perspective.
19:11
And we said before, perspective is nothing more
19:14
than what?
19:15
It is a lens.
19:16
When we change the lens, everything in our
19:19
life changes, right?
19:21
If we change a lens that suddenly has
19:23
a prism, well, we start seeing prisms.
19:25
If we change a lens that's black and
19:26
white, we see the world as black and
19:28
white.
19:29
We create the filters and then apply that,
19:34
and that affects our outcome.
19:38
Number 28, showing up the day after courage.
19:44
Courage.
19:46
I want to divest a minute to Merriam
19:54
-Webster.
19:55
And I want to go right to basically
19:59
their definition of courage.
20:00
I'm going to take it right from them
20:02
so you get this right from the horse's
20:04
mouth.
20:04
Courage, it's a noun, mental and moral strength
20:07
to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or
20:11
difficulty.
20:12
A new friend helps her find the courage
20:15
to talk about her feelings.
20:19
In the end, when you don't have courage,
20:23
you kind of lose conviction.
20:26
When you don't have courage, it's like there's
20:29
no cement holding the foundation together.
20:35
When you don't have courage, it's like you're
20:43
getting a dinner with no food on the
20:45
plate.
20:46
When you don't have courage, it's like you
20:49
don't have a leg to stand on.
20:51
And these are all proverbial, but I think
20:53
they hopefully drive the point home, okay?
20:59
I think that's an important thing to really
21:02
realize is how this works.
21:07
And there's truth in this.
21:10
There's truth in believing that you have more
21:12
power than you ever believed was possible.
21:18
If I gave you the perception and said,
21:20
you're a great student, guess what happens?
21:23
You become that.
21:25
If I say you're a horrible student, then
21:27
you start living up to that.
21:28
So labels are bad, but when we use
21:33
a good label, people wanna live up to
21:36
it.
21:37
If we use a bad label, they will
21:38
too.
21:39
So use labels sparingly.
21:42
Use labels that are gonna make people feel
21:46
good.
21:47
Even if they don't fit that label today,
21:49
maybe they can.
21:50
Maybe it's a positive attribute.
21:52
Like, you know, you're really smart or you're
21:55
really a great listener.
21:58
They're gonna grow into those characteristics.
22:01
That's powerful.
22:03
The closing truth, ladies and gentlemen, you're allowed
22:06
to be scared and still lead your life.
22:11
Many people think if you're scared, you can't
22:14
drive a ship.
22:15
You can't operate.
22:17
You can.
22:19
Number 29, you're allowed to be scared and
22:22
still be the main character of your life.
22:25
Just because you're scared doesn't mean you're throwing
22:30
in the towel.
22:31
Too many people do because they don't think
22:33
they have a chance.
22:35
They don't realize that if they alter their
22:36
perspective even just a tiny bit, their life
22:39
could do a complete 180.
22:41
Number 30, fear has a loud voice.
22:44
Your future has receipts.
22:50
What do I mean by that?
22:51
If we had to think about that for
22:52
a second, when I say fear has a
22:58
loud voice and it has receipts, what is
23:04
the meaning of that?
23:08
Think about that for a second.
23:10
Think long and hard.
23:12
What does that really mean to you?
23:16
Fear has a loud voice.
23:21
Your future has receipts.
23:25
Fear has a loud voice.
23:27
Your future has receipts.
23:31
This is what it means.
23:32
Fear talks nonstop.
23:34
It's dramatic, urgent, emotional.
23:36
It says things like, this will go badly.
23:39
You're not ready.
23:40
Don't risk it.
23:41
Fear doesn't whisper.
23:43
It interrupts.
23:44
It exaggerates and demands your attention, but it
23:47
has no receipts.
23:49
Receipts?
23:49
Yup.
23:50
Proof, facts, evidence.
23:52
You know how things have gone in the
23:53
past.
23:54
Go back to those receipts and you can
23:55
relive them again.
23:57
Fear usually can't show real data back it
23:59
up, but truth can.
24:01
It relies on what ifs, not what is
24:04
or what actually happened.
24:06
Fear shouts possibilities without ever stating a grain
24:10
of proof.
24:11
Your future growth and progress have evidence, past
24:14
wins, skills, resilience, and learning.
24:17
In other words, fear is noise.
24:19
Growth is documented.
24:21
One is emotional.
24:22
The other is factual.
24:24
It's an imitation to ask, what proof do
24:26
I actually have that will fail?
24:29
What proof do I have that I've handled
24:32
hard things before?
24:33
Most of the time, fear talks louder, but
24:36
your life history is the receipt.
24:38
If you understand this, then you'll realize that
24:43
you can draw on these receipts.
24:46
And I think a lot of us forget
24:50
that we have these receipts in our lives,
24:52
that we have this proof that can change
24:55
us.
24:56
If you remember, I'll give you an example.
24:59
And I went on the roller coaster for
25:00
the very first time.
25:02
Now, it's not a big deal.
25:04
The first time I went on, it was
25:04
like a big deal.
25:06
Because I overcame that fear, getting on a
25:10
roller coaster is not a big deal for
25:11
me anymore.
25:13
Okay?
25:14
But the first time it was like, oh
25:17
my gosh.
25:18
All these things kept going through my mind.
25:22
But when I started to let go, when
25:23
I started to enjoy the ride, it was
25:25
like, wow, why was I being such a
25:28
stick in the mud?
25:28
Why was I so fearful?
25:29
This is actually fun.
25:34
But to have fun, you need to let
25:36
go.
25:37
You need to relax.
25:39
You need to breathe.
25:40
You need to soak up the atmosphere.
25:45
That's powerful, guys.
25:47
But a lot of people never do it.
25:49
Why?
25:50
Because someone else told them it's not a
25:52
good idea.
25:53
Or because maybe they read an article or
25:56
they saw a video about something that was
25:58
tragic.
26:00
That doesn't mean you should never try it.
26:03
Maybe not use that part.
26:06
But incidents are very far and few between.
26:11
I think this is the important matter we
26:13
wanna know.
26:15
Ladies and gentlemen, if this episode resonated even
26:20
a tiny bit, please share it with someone
26:23
who needs a little more light today.
26:27
They'll be so glad that you decided to
26:30
do this.
26:31
They may thank you.
26:33
They may share it with someone else they
26:34
know.
26:35
But most importantly, you're gonna get them from
26:37
being unstuck to being movable, enjoying life, and
26:43
becoming a success.
26:43
In other words, getting them to thrive instead
26:47
of just survive.
26:48
Be sure, ladies and gentlemen, to please check
26:51
out BelieveMeAchieved.com for more of my amazing,
26:55
inspiring, short-form and long-form content available
26:58
24 seven from your computer and smart devices.
27:02
That's reels, that's articles, and so much more.
27:06
This is John C.
27:07
Morley reminding you courage isn't the absence of
27:11
fear.
27:12
It's movement with meaning.
27:15
Are you ready to start making these changes
27:17
in your life?
27:17
I know you are.
27:19
I know some of you are saying, John,
27:20
but you don't understand my life.
27:22
I'm not telling you to go for the
27:25
biggest one.
27:26
I'm telling you to take a small leap.
27:29
And when you get comfortable with that small
27:31
leap, you'll take a bigger leap.
27:33
And then when you sit back and be
27:36
like, oh my gosh, I did it.
27:39
This was an amazing feeling.
27:41
And I could do it again, and I
27:43
could do it again, and I could do
27:44
it again.
27:45
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the power
27:47
of your mind.
27:50
Please do check out BelieveMeAchieved.com.
27:53
And I know that if you make the
27:56
choice, your life will become even better one
27:59
day at a time.
28:00
Have a good one, everyone, and be well.
28:03
♪ Hey,
28:27
hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,
28:28
hey, hey ♪