This morning I sat down with my journal, trying to come up with something that would be personally meaningful to write.
Then it hit me.
Courage.
Why courage?
2 and a half years ago, I made a courageous decision that changed my life.
The decision?
To make a Facebook-live video every morning for 30 days.
Why Facebook Live for 30 Days?
I know what you’re thinking. Yuck! I Facebook Live? Why?
Most people cringe at the thought of making a video of themselves, let alone a live video!
Why would I subject myself to that?
- I wanted to experience courage every day.
- I wanted to share messages in my life that might be more receptive to this type of encouragement than a personal outreach.
- I wanted to increase my confidence in my ability to record live videos.
Courage Sucks. I Want More.
Psychologist Benjamin Hardy defines courage as “ an intentional behavior toward a worthy goal involving risk.”
Most people admire courage in others but don’t like to experience it themselves. — Dan Sullivan
Courage sucks. There’s no way around it.
It’s the feeling that comes AFTER you’ve committed to something bigger than what you’ve done in the past, and now have to follow through.
It comes in a combination of self-doubt, worry, and fear — when you feel like an idiot for committing to do something that you’ll most likely fail.
In spite of the risk involved, you follow through.
That is courage.
Commitments that require courage lead to exponential growth.
Commitments that require courage will accelerate your ability to gain new capabilities.
Following through on those commitments leads to a higher level of confidence and feeling of empowerment.
My Daily Process
Commitment
Each morning I had to re-commit to this goal — Leaving my house with my cell phone in hand was my way of committing to record the live video.
Courage
Every day it took an insane amount of courage to press the record button. What if people thought this video was stupid? What if no one saw it? What if I said something that put my foot in my mouth?
The first day was the worst. To my surprise, it didn’t get much more comfortable. It took courage to press “record” every single day.
Take three deep breaths.
Smile.
Press the button.
Capabilities
During each recording, I could feel my skills growing. It brought to mind other skills that I was already good at and reminded me that I enjoyed doing this type of thing. I was talking on the cuff about things that were important to me. In a way, I was giving myself a pep-talk for the rest of the day.
Confidence
I limited each video to 5 minutes, and each time as the video closed I felt an enormous boost of confidence. My smile was bigger, my steps were lighter, and I was ready to take on new challenges throughout the day. Mission accomplished.
After a while, I got positive feedback from my peers. Some were struggling with depression, and these videos gave them the confidence to face their life that day. My friends in South America started demanding that I re-do the videos in Spanish, and my reach grew more than I anticipated.
Non-negotiable Rules To Ensure Success
While doing these videos I made several rules for myself, things that I needed to do to follow through.
- I put my phone on airplane mode and only checked my messages once a day. I knew that negative feedback would throw off my momentum.
- I made a point to limit each video to 3–5 minutes. I knew I could be courageous for 3 minutes.
- One take, no do-overs. After all, I was going for prolific, not perfect.
- Finally, I resolved never to go back and watch those videos. A little quirky, but I wasn’t about to submit myself to that!
Because I stuck to those non-negotiables, the courage required was manageable.
Next time you make a commitment that you know requires courage, I recommend that you set up a few non-negotiables.
Big Commitment Big Courage, Small Commitment Small Courage.
I made a small commitment that I could keep every day because I wanted a mindset change.
I wanted to get comfortable with experiencing 3 minutes of courage every day.
I was building habits, not hurtling Everest.
Upleveling your courage is a powerful recipe for growth. Increasing your level of courage too quickly can cripple your progress and make you less likely to commit next time.
If you want to accelerate your progression, find a way to push yourself outside of your comfort level every day.
It doesn’t take much.
But it does take courage.
And you can act with courage.