By Zoey Weaver
I was standing at the edge of the cliff overlooking the clear blue water. It was a sunny August day and my friends and I were at a local river spot. My friends were rock jumping and I was sunbathing when I got the urge to jump into the refreshing, cool water. Confidently, I walked up to the edge of the rock, leaned forward to jump and then, I hesitated.
I froze with fear as my brain yelled at my body “DON’T JUMP!” Every muscle in my body tensed up and I started letting thoughts of doubt and fear seep in. I was terrified. But I took a deep breath, mustered up 20 seconds of courage and jumped.
I splashed into the cold water and sunk down closer to the bottom of the river. Opening my eyes underwater, I kicked my feet and swam towards the surface. Breaking back into the sunshine I took a deep breath, unable to hold back my ear-to-ear grin. I felt exhilarated and proud. I couldn’t wait for my next jump.
Courage
Steve Kamb is the author of “Nerd Fitness,” one of my favorite blogs on nutrition, fitness and life advice. One of my all-time favorite articles that Steve has written is called “The 20-Second Beast Mode Berserker Challenge.” This article talks about scrounging up 20 seconds of courage in order to face your fears and then break through them.
Although Steve writes a fitness blog, this concept is so revolutionary that I think it deserves a spot in the “self-help” world, too. All that you need to change your life is to muster up 20 seconds of courage and you can do anything!
- Want to ask that person out? 20 seconds of courage. Walk up to them and strike up a conversation.
- Want to get in shape: 20 seconds of courage. Put your running shoes on and head out the door.
- Want to learn a new language? 20 seconds of courage. Sign up for that course.
- Want to make more money? 20 seconds of courage. Walk into your boss’s office and ask for a raise.
- Want to travel the world? 20 seconds of courage. Book your ticket.
- Want to get out of debt? 20 seconds of courage. Cut up your credit cards.
It really is that simple. It has been said that your life can change in an instant. Instead of waiting for that instant to fall into your lap, why not make that moment happen right now?
You can do anything for 20 seconds. Why not take that chance?
Create Change
I write a lot about thinking positively and feeling gratitude, but at some point, thoughts aren’t enough. Sometimes, the only way forward is to take action. 20 seconds of courage is that short burst of action that can push you to the next level of awesomeness. It can take you from thinking about starting a business to actually doing it. Or, it can take you from overweight to fit and healthy. 20 seconds of courage can take you anywhere you need it to.
People spend their entire lives waiting: waiting for an opportunity. Waiting for the right time. Waiting until you are done with school, until the kids move out or until you are retired. You can make a change right now and never look back. Decide right now to never be where you are at this moment ever again.
Change your life right now. Chances are you won’t even remember those 20 seconds of courage but you will remember the results. These 20 seconds are meant to be scary, they are meant to challenge you and take you out of your comfort zones.
You can do anything for 20 seconds. Why not take a chance?
Written by Zoey Weaver. Zoe is a money mindset coach for entrepreneurs. She helps entrepreneurs overcome their money blocks so that they can break through their income plateaus, upgrade their lives and afford the important things.
This article was originally published on LightWorkers.