One of the greatest privileges of writing Turn Your Fear Into Fuel has been hearing your stories—real, raw, and inspiring accounts of facing fear and finding purpose. 

Today, I want to share a story by Jeff Hughes submitted to my Share Your Story campaign around the book. I hope you find encouragement, reassurance, and maybe a bit of your own story reflected here.

“After I graduated from Berry College, God connected me with the opportunity to get my first job at Primerica in 1992. I remember around 1992 or 1993, sitting at a company convention and hearing Art Williams speak for the first time. I remember sitting there thinking, I could listen to him all night. As a former football player from Georgia, I related to the things he said. As a young man, I greatly wanted to be somebody and do something great with my life. I wanted to be someone I could be proud of and that my family could be proud of. I wanted to be successful.”

The desire to be “somebody,” to make our families proud, to do something meaningful. It’s a powerful motivator—and sometimes, a source of fear when we’re not sure how to get there.

“Over the years, I got to meet some incredible people working at Primerica. I got to meet and get to know people like Bob and Terry Turley, Bob Buisson, Rusty Crossland, Virginia Carter, Ronnie Barnes, Jimmy Myers, Andy Young, and Lynn Webb, just to name a few. I worked with awesome people like Melanie Mitchell, Patti Castellaw, Alexis Ginn, Duane Morrow, Kay Hightower, Karen Wilson, Debbie Miller, and John Addison, among many others. These people became my heroes and helped shape my life.”

“During my years at Primerica, my wife and I got married, we built our home, had our kids, and worked hard. I grew. I developed my leadership skills and philosophies. I had some successes and some failures. It is amazing how much the company influenced me. I had a burning desire to do something great. I just didn’t know what more it was. I thought maybe it was building a business and I spent 3 years full-time trying to build a Primerica business. I gave it everything I had. Ultimately, I know now [Primerica] wasn’t meant to be. But, those years taught me so much.”

Sometimes, the path we think is “it” often turns out to be a stepping stone. The people we meet, the lessons we learn, the growth we experience—none of it is wasted, even if the outcome isn’t what we expected.

“Looking back, I now realize that the Lord had a plan for my life and those years were part of that plan. Those years helped shape who I am now. The Lord had been pursuing me and calling me to do something that I did not feel qualified to do. So professionally, I tried to do what I thought was the right thing to do. After leaving Primerica, I had built what someone would say was a pretty good career. I was in a good place and was really good at what I did. I prayed and asked God for direction, but I did not fully sell out to what God wanted me to do. I am definitely not Moses, but I can relate to how he felt when the Lord called him. I did not feel like I was good enough or that I wasn’t the best speaker. I thought about what would others think of me. I even thought, how could I make a decent living? In a word, I would say fear was holding me back.”

The tension between comfort and calling. The fear of not being “enough.” The worry about what others will think. The practical concerns about making a living. These are real fears, and they can keep us from stepping into our true purpose.

“Then in 2020, the Lord used some circumstances to slow me down and to get my attention. I remember sitting with my wife at dinner one evening and she asked me what was wrong. I told her that I felt like I was not doing what I was meant to do with my life. I was not fulfilling my purpose. I felt I had more to give than I was. I was comfortable, but I was not fulfilled. She asked me if money wasn’t an issue, and I could do anything I wanted to do, what would I do? I told her that I enjoyed coaching, encouraging and helping other people. I told her I believed I had some leadership abilities. She looked at me and said you should figure that out and do that. You have my blessing.”

Sometimes, it takes the gentle nudge of someone who loves us to help us see what’s possible. That question…if money wasn’t an issue, what would you do?…is a powerful one. It can reveal the dreams we’ve buried under layers of fear and practicality.

“So, with my wife’s blessing, I began to pray to God to open a door and that I would fully follow him. I prayed that prayer for about a year. One day over lunch, a friend of mine randomly asked me if I had ever thought about working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. What he did not know was I had talked with someone about that years back but didn’t think I could do it. There were probably many reasons that ran through my head. One was the idea of having to raise my financial support. I remember thinking, ‘I can’t ask people to give to me.’ But now things were different. I had a different mindset and a different perspective. I told my friend I would like to talk with him more about that idea as I immediately knew that was the open door I had been praying about.”

The same opportunity that once seemed impossible now felt like an answer to prayer. Sometimes, it’s not the opportunity that changes—it’s us. When we’re ready, doors open.

“We began to put together a game plan for me to transition out of my business life and into the ministry of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I had a huge God-size budget goal and the Lord connected me with the individuals I needed to be connected with for that goal to become a reality. On January 7, 2022, I quit my job and became a full-time area representative for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Walton County, Georgia. I was 54 years old. On January 13, 2022, I walked into a high school for the first time and started spending time with high school coaches and athletes.”

“Now, I get to get up every day excited about what I get to do. I do not have a Plan B. I’m completely sold out doing what God wants me to do. I used to sit back and think what could have been. While I guess I did not ultimately end up being successful in my Primerica career, helping families become financially independent, I now get to spend time with coaches and athletes and hopefully helping to push them up. I often find myself sitting across a ‘kitchen table’ talking with them about their eternal life. I talk with young athletes about how life will give them what they will fight for. I talk with coaches about how to be better leaders. The correlation is incredibly similar. It really is incredible and for whatever reason, the Lord has connected me with the opportunity to do that more than I ever could have imagined.”

“There is no question in my mind that the Lord directed me and connected me with a great company with great people when I was young. For that, I am extremely thankful. I have learned that fear is a distraction. It is a lie. You have to put faith over fear. When you fully commit to what the Lord is calling you to do and what you are meant to do, he will fully fulfill you. I guess I would say on the other side of fear is fulfillment. I found my purpose, and I am living my dream. If I would have let fear win, I never would have gotten to where I am now. God bless.”

Reflections

What a journey. An invitation for all of us to reflect on our own paths through fear toward fulfillment.

It’s humbling how often life’s detours prepare us for our true calling, even when we don’t understand them at first.

From Jeff’s story, we can learn:

• Fear can distract—but faith refocuses.
• Every experience—even “failure”—has value.
• Fulfillment comes from answering your calling—not avoiding risk.

To Jeff: Thank you—for your vulnerability, honesty, faithfulness, and encouraging others to pursue their dreams boldly.

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