Hiking the Appalachian Trail. Jumping out of an airplane. Moving out the state. Creating a movement that changes the world.
Serving your country. Pursuing your dream. Trying out for the Broadway play. Asking for your girlfriend’s hand in marriage?
What do you need to start these events?
Via Creative Commons
You are probably thinking it requires money, time, commitment, etc. Some great hurdle to overcome.
Yet it doesn’t require much to get started.
It only requires a brief few moments of courage.
Just enough to push you out of your comfort zone and into an adventure you haven’t known before.
Don’t believe me? Let us break down a few of these events and see what could get them started.
- Skydiving: I wrote about my skydiving adventure.
When you’re sitting at the door of the plane at 10,000 feet, it doesn’t take much to get you out of the door.
Just a brief few seconds of courage. Once you’re out of the door, you’re moving towards the ground and having the time of your life. - Asking Someone Out on a Date: This was always a scary experience for me.
Never knowing whether the person would say yes or no. But, without 20 seconds of courage, you would never approach someone and ask them out.
You may never meet your future spouse. You may get embarrassed. You may not.Is it worth 20 seconds of courage?
- Creating a Movement: All movements start with a brief moment of courage.
You have to push aside the fear and see if your idea will work. If it does, great! If it doesn’t, oh well. You move on.
Without having the brief moment of courage you would never know what you could have done.
“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”
— C. S. Lewis
The greatest moments of our lives start with just 20 seconds of insane courage. In that amount of time you can change your life. The lives of those around you. And possibly the world.
What would you like to do?
- Move to a foreign country
- Climb mountains
- Live a minimalist lifestyle
- Learn to dance
- Give more to charity
What’s holding you back from taking the first step of courage?
- Someone’s opinion
- Fear of failure
- Security
Think about it. Put a name to it. Face it.
Once you face your problem with courage, the world starts to open up.
You will see opportunities instead of trials. You will see new ways of doing things instead of dead ends. You will find freedom.
Today, I implore you to find that one thing that needs your 20 seconds of courage.
Do you have it in your mind what you need to do? Good!
Now take 20 seconds of insane courage and do something about it! Go change your life today!
“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”
— Benjamin Mee (We Bought a Zoo)
Question: What situation in your life do you need to apply twenty seconds of insane courage to? How could it change your life? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.