Fear can often stop you in your tracks. But becoming fearless should not be that hard – in fact, you can unlock your courageous self with just one phrase. April Shprintz shares the most important question to ask yourself during moments of fear.
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This Phrase Will Make You Fearless
Why You Should Run Towards Fear
I am so glad you’re here. I have a question for you. Have you ever wanted to be fearless? Has that ever sounded like something that would be fun? It makes me laugh because most people who know me think that I’m fearless. I’ve had so many people say, “April, you’re fearless.” That’s bullshit. I am not fearless. I am so full of fear. I’m always full of fear, but I don’t let fear stop me from doing anything because that, to me, feels like such a waste. I feel like fear is always the thing between me and whatever it is that I want. I feel like it has been that way my entire life. I’ve always run towards fear.
If you’re afraid to join the Military, do it. If you’re afraid to jump out of an airplane, do it. If you’re afraid to launch that new product, talk to that person, or do that big thing, do it. There’s often some crying and gnashing of teeth. I’m not going to say to do it elegantly, but I don’t think that matters. People say, “You’re so brave.” You’re brave after the fact. You’re scared shitless while you’re doing it, and that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Here’s how I do it. When I am in the face of fear, when I am trying to figure out what I should do and what my next step should be, or when I am “being fearless”, this is what I’m saying to myself. A lot of people, when they’re in fear, will say, “What are you afraid of?” or, “What’s the big deal?” You bully yourself in your own head, which is not helpful. What I do is, instead of asking myself about the fear, which I’m well-versed in because I know what’s going on with the fear, because in that moment, it’s making me miserable, I ask myself this question, “What would you do if you were brave?”
Instead of asking yourself about the fear, ask what you would do if you were brave. Share on XLet me give you some examples. Maybe you’re like, “That sounds great, but how do we use that in real life?” For example, one of the things I struggled with for years was being vulnerable, like sharing with people what my needs were, what I cared about, and what mattered to me. As a child, a lot of times, if I shared those things, nobody cared, so I thought, “Never share how you feel.”
In a situation where, let’s say, someone close to me has hurt my feelings and I don’t want to tell them because I’m afraid that they’re going to say, “I don’t care,” which isn’t likely, but that is what fear does, I would ask myself, “What would you do if you were brave?” What I would do if I were brave is say how I felt. I would say that my feelings were hurt, and I would consider it a win that I expressed myself regardless of what that person did. That’s an example of what you would do if you were brave.
Another example would be if you’re afraid to do an event or launch an event. You’re afraid no one will go. That happens with a lot of entrepreneurs when they want to do some of their early events. This was something that I struggled with. The question was, “What would you do if you were brave?” If I were brave, I would put on the event, and I would know that no matter how many people showed up, it was going to be important, meaningful, and impactful to them. That’s all that mattered. Even if only one person went, it would be the beginning. It’s okay if the beginning is small.
For some people, this can be a much smaller thing. This could be being brave enough to feel the sadness of something that happened to you because it feels like if you feel that sadness, it’s going to kill you. What would you do if you were brave? You would feel that feeling because that feeling is trying to tell you something.
Fear feels so much bigger than it is. Think about bravery and it gets a little bit easier. Share on XMaybe the thing that you’re terrified to do is go to your boss and ask for a raise because you’re afraid that they’re going to say, “Based on the economy, tariffs, and all the crap that’s happening, that’s a dumb question.” What would you do if you were brave? You would research the value that you’re offering your company. You would have a list of accomplishments that you’ve made.
You would have a plan for how you see yourself contributing in a continued manner to the company, and you’d have that conversation. That’s what you’d do when you were brave. You’d put out what you want, and you’d know that the worst thing that your boss can say is no. More than likely, if you have a good list of reasons, they’re either going to say, “Yes,” or, “We can win.”
What Would I Do If I Was Brave?
That’s what I want you to do. Every time there’s something you’re afraid of, I want you to ask yourself, “What would I do if I were brave?” and then I want you to fucking do it. What you’re going to notice is that fear feels so much bigger than it is. When you do that thing, every time, it gets a little bit easier. I’m not going to say you’ll stop being afraid because I live my life afraid of everything, but I don’t let that stop me from doing anything I want to do. That’s what I want for you. Here’s to your success.
