Twenty seconds of insane courage
If you haven't seen the Matt Damon movie, We Bought a Zoo, you need to check it out. It's one of those "feel good" movies that just leaves you, well, feeling good! I'm one of the ten people in America that still pays for the Netflix DVD rental program and the first time I watched it last spring, I remember raving about it. But then I sorta forgot about it until it was on TV recently and I re-watched it. A gem. Anyway...the point? There's a scene in the film where Matt Damon's character, Benjamin Mee, states:
In the film the character is giving his pre-teen son advice about a girl his son is too afraid to tell he likes her. His philosophy though is interwoven throughout the film and if you step back in many ways is at the heart of the film. This quote has stuck with me recently and I found myself a couple weeks ago dishing it out as advice to friend.
Twenty seconds of insane courage.
How many times in our lives have we wanted something but have been too afraid to go for it? Out of fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown if we disrupt the status quo. Don't rock the boat! We talk ourselves out of our dreams, our hopes, and our wishes because we fear leaning into the discomfort. Sometimes accepting what is is easier to swallow than making ourselves vulnerable and putting ourselves out there to find out what could be. Why leap when you can stay planted on solid ground? Fear. Because if we leap and we fall flat on our face, there's humiliation there. Shame. Embarrassment.
In my professional life, I have lost track of the number of colleagues over the years who have told me they are too scared to ask for a raise, too afraid to apply for that promotion, too nervous to tell their boss they are unhappy and advocate for what they want (and often, need). And I get it. I've been there. These types of conversations often take longer that 20 seconds. But the principle is there. And yes, it's true that the end result may be you're back where you started. No raise, no promotion, no change in your day to day work life. But you've changed. Because you put yourself out there. And how you navigate picking yourself back up and moving forward builds courage. Builds resilience.
And in our personal lives? How many times have we stopped ourselves from making the first move? Putting ourselves out there and making ourselves vulnerable to let another person know how we feel? Or to let someone else in? Relationships we hope will blossom. Relationships we've been hurt by and don't know how to heal. Relationships we stay in out of fear of being on our own or starting over. Shame and fear and guilt are all too real emotions. They hold us back, tie us down.
When I look back on this past year and especially the last six months, I can pinpoint moments where I needed 20 seconds of insane courage and moments where I lept. Sometimes things worked out in my favor. Sometimes they didn't. But I can clearly recall the anxiety I felt each and every time. The interesting thing is, when I didn't have the courage, the anxiety never quite dissipated and when I did? When I lept? Well, the anxiety went away. Because the unknown was no longer unknown. No matter the outcome. I knew. And I could move forward.
Twenty seconds of insane courage. Twenty seconds of embarrassing bravery.
Go for it. What do we have to lose?
Cheers.
"You know, sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, just literally 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery, and I promise you something great will come of it."
In the film the character is giving his pre-teen son advice about a girl his son is too afraid to tell he likes her. His philosophy though is interwoven throughout the film and if you step back in many ways is at the heart of the film. This quote has stuck with me recently and I found myself a couple weeks ago dishing it out as advice to friend.
Twenty seconds of insane courage.
How many times in our lives have we wanted something but have been too afraid to go for it? Out of fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown if we disrupt the status quo. Don't rock the boat! We talk ourselves out of our dreams, our hopes, and our wishes because we fear leaning into the discomfort. Sometimes accepting what is is easier to swallow than making ourselves vulnerable and putting ourselves out there to find out what could be. Why leap when you can stay planted on solid ground? Fear. Because if we leap and we fall flat on our face, there's humiliation there. Shame. Embarrassment.
In my professional life, I have lost track of the number of colleagues over the years who have told me they are too scared to ask for a raise, too afraid to apply for that promotion, too nervous to tell their boss they are unhappy and advocate for what they want (and often, need). And I get it. I've been there. These types of conversations often take longer that 20 seconds. But the principle is there. And yes, it's true that the end result may be you're back where you started. No raise, no promotion, no change in your day to day work life. But you've changed. Because you put yourself out there. And how you navigate picking yourself back up and moving forward builds courage. Builds resilience.
And in our personal lives? How many times have we stopped ourselves from making the first move? Putting ourselves out there and making ourselves vulnerable to let another person know how we feel? Or to let someone else in? Relationships we hope will blossom. Relationships we've been hurt by and don't know how to heal. Relationships we stay in out of fear of being on our own or starting over. Shame and fear and guilt are all too real emotions. They hold us back, tie us down.
When I look back on this past year and especially the last six months, I can pinpoint moments where I needed 20 seconds of insane courage and moments where I lept. Sometimes things worked out in my favor. Sometimes they didn't. But I can clearly recall the anxiety I felt each and every time. The interesting thing is, when I didn't have the courage, the anxiety never quite dissipated and when I did? When I lept? Well, the anxiety went away. Because the unknown was no longer unknown. No matter the outcome. I knew. And I could move forward.
Twenty seconds of insane courage. Twenty seconds of embarrassing bravery.
Go for it. What do we have to lose?
Cheers.
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