Twenty seconds of insane courage can change your life.

Last week, I shared about 5 Ways to Use Fear to Your Advantage where I touched briefly on courage. What is courage?

Courage is action in the face of fear.

In the movie, We Bought a Zoo with Matt Damon, he takes his two children to the restaurant where he met his now deceased wife. Walking by on the street, he suddenly spotted her through the window and stopped dead in his tracks. He thought to himself, All I need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Long story short, he went in and introduced himself saying, “Why would an amazing woman like you even talk to someone like me? To which she replied, “Why not?” He sat down, and you know the rest of the story. A little later in the movie, when sharing with his teenage son how to approach a girl he likes, he says to him,

If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s worth watching. In fact, I just cried after watching the three scenes about insane courage again. I’m not sure why it touches me so deeply.

Maybe because the best things in life happen like that - with twenty seconds of insane courage.

It reminded me of a story I heard from Tom Halleen, the Dean of the School of Cinema and Media Arts at Biola University. My son and I visited the school when he was considering being a student there. Tom is a wildly successful guy including the former executive vice president of programming strategy, acquisitions, and scheduling at AMC Networks (you know, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, and some little ole shows like that). He’s also one of the most humble and genuine people I’ve ever met. That day, he gave us an exclusive tour of the Cinema school (which was not usual) on a low-traffic day in early October. He shared this story while showing us around. While working at a major network, one of his bosses asked him to lie about something for him. He knew he could lose his job if he didn’t do it, but he opted for twenty seconds of insane courage instead and said this to his boss:

“If I lie for you, then I can lie to you, and I don’t want to do that.”

Long story short, his boss didn’t fire him. It turns out, he respected him even more after that.

But it took twenty seconds of insane courage.

Like you, I’ve had many moments where I needed twenty seconds of courage. Sometimes I’ve acted courageously, and other times I haven’t.

Here are three thoughts that have helped me over the years:

1. Be the person you want to become. What is the potential outcome of the courageous choice you are about to make? Does it bring you closer to the type of person you want to be? If so, do it! This leads me to the next one…
2. Do the right thing. You will never go wrong doing the right thing. And while the results may not turn out the way you hope, at least you can live with yourself afterward.
3. Keep a short list of regrets. I won’t say have no regrets, because we all have regrets and we can learn from them. But one of the questions I often ask myself is, If I don’t do this, will I regret it afterward? If the answer is yes, that is usually a sign I need twenty seconds of insane courage.

William Wallace, one of the main leaders during the first war for Scottish Independence, and the subject of the movie Braveheart once said,

“Men don’t follow titles, they follow courage.”

The kind of courage that takes action in the face of fear.

So go ahead:

• Fill out that application for a new job
• Do that thing you’ve been pushing off for years
• Make that phone call
• Have that conversation
• Write that book

I can’t promise everything will go your way, but I am certain you will take one step closer to the person you want to become.
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The Most Important Skill to Learn

One of my readers, Joe, responded to my last email on fear saying, “Courage is the key to overcoming fear. I think it is the most important skill to learn.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Where do you need twenty seconds of insane courage today?

I love to hear from readers. What things have helped you be more courageous or where might you need twenty seconds of insane courage today?

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Your friend,
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Kent

PS - If you enjoy my writing and feel it’s adding value to your life, consider leaving a tip >>​

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