Masterful Mindsets – The Secret to Freedom is Courage

“Do something every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Question:

How often do you step out of your comfort zone? What in your life have you always wanted to do but have never done because you were afraid of taking the risk? What are you hanging on to out of comfort or fear of letting go? When was the last time you tried something new or did something that scared you?

Action Challenge: 

Last week we talked about having the courage to free up your life. Sometimes saying no is scary. And sometimes, letting go of something that you’ve been hanging on to out of comfort, can be as scary as adding something new into your life. But challenging yourself and stepping out of your comfort zone can give you a tremendous feeling of freedom. As last week’s quote stated, “The Secret to Freedom is Courage.” So, when was the last time you had courage and did something that scared you?

I was in a bookstore the other day and saw a book that had been created based on this week’s quote. Of course, I already had several books in my hands so I didn’t need another, but it was a pretty cool book. And in some respects, I felt like it was confirmation to me that all the risks, changes and somewhat scary situations I’ve been challenging myself with lately were exactly what I needed to be doing.

I know how important it is to our personal growth to step out of our comfort zones. So I try to be diligent about challenging myself to do something that scares me on a regular basis. And I challenge my clients to step out of their comfort zones too – whether it be letting go of (or saying no to) something they have been holding on to for far too long or maybe trying something new that they have been afraid of doing. I want them to be free to live the lives they desire and be the best, truest version of themselves. So challenging them to do something that scares them, gives them courage to be free.

Plus, if we do not ever risk then we do not ever change, at least not much. And what happens then, we get stuck. We may think life is just “fine.” But we lose our passion. We lose our drive. And we get lost in the mundane.

Now, you don’t have to go skydiving or bungee jumping to do something that scares you. The funny thing is, the things we spend most of our time being scared of are things that won’t really hurt much more than our egos. As a matter of fact, most of us are much more afraid of things like failure, being rejected or making a “fool” of ourselves then anything really scary or life threatening.

When I was in college, I went bungee jumping on a spring break dare. I remember standing high above the water on the platform thinking, “They are going to have to push me. I am not jumping!” But then something inside just said, “Jump! It’ll be okay. You can do this.” And so, I jumped. And yes, it was scary but it was also amazing. Much like any other leap we take. When we are afraid to do something in our lives and we step out in courage. There’s a charge of exhilaration in the risk. There’s a surge of adrenaline and a feeling of invincibility. And then there’s a sense of freedom and pride in knowing that you did it.

It’s been over 25 years since I took that dare and made that jump, yet I still remember that exhilaration and that sense of pride because I did something that scared me.

Don’t wait until you are completely broken, to speak up for yourself. Don’t wait until you are lonely, to get together with a new friend. Don’t wait until you are sick, to get healthy. Don’t wait until you’ve lost your sense of exhilaration and passion, to do something new. Don’t wait until you wake up one day and realize that life has passed you by.

Most people wait till they are pushed before they jump. So I dare you – jump!

My challenge to you is to do something every day that scares you. Get out of your comfort zone. It keeps life from getting stagnant and boring. And no, you don’t have to go bungee jumping. (Unless of course it’s something you’ve always wanted to do but have been too scared to do.) But do take a risk. Risk making a fool of yourself, risk speaking in public, risk speaking up for yourself, risk love, risk failure. Try something new – a new way of doing something, a new workout, a new food, a new challenge. Let go of something that you’ve only been hanging on to out of comfort or fear of letting go.

It doesn’t matter how big or how small… just take Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice and do something every day that scares you. It’s in those moments, that you not only get the energetic charge of exhilaration that you need to jump forward, but also the pride and sense of accomplishment that will give you more confidence and freedom in knowing you can do anything you can imagine. Even if it scares you…

***I want to hear from you… share your thoughts about this week’s topic below. And let me know what you’re doing every day that scares you.