“Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.”
Ruth Gordon
Are your insecurities holding you back and those big moves just aren’t happening? Don’t worry you’re not alone. We all let our insecurities get the better of us at some point. What if I said it takes only 10 seconds to tap into courage?
The key is to realise that you have a choice – you always have a choice! You can choose to stay where you are with your insecurity, or you can choose to move towards courage. It might not seem like much, but this simple act of acknowledgement is incredibly powerful.
Once you’ve acknowledged that you have a choice, it’s time to take action and below I’m going to share with you some ways you can tap into that courage.
What exactly is 10 Seconds of Courage?
The idea behind 10 Seconds of Courage is that you only need a brief moment to take action on something that scares you. This could be anything from asking for a pay raise at work to going on a first date. It doesn’t matter how big or small the action is – what matters is that you’re taking action despite your fears.
And now, let’s move on to the ways you can tap into courage…
6 Ways to tap into 10 Seconds of Courage
1. Work with a coach
A coach is someone who wants to help you stretch and find your inner brave action-taker so you can move forward in your personal (or business) life. They bring an outside perspective and are invested in your success. A great coach will push you to think bigger and challenge you to reach your full potential…even if you’re kicking and screaming along the way.
Keep in mind, that working with a coach is a commitment – both financially and time-wise! You’ll need to be prepared to do the work and make the changes that are necessary for growth. And please don’t make the mistake of thinking working with a coach is the magic wand that suddenly makes your insecurities and procrastination disappear – if only it were that simple.
Instead, a coach is there to help you move past mindset roadblocks, develop a plan of action, and hold you accountable so you can find the courage to act and make the big moves happen.
2. Be an invested part of a community
A great way to tap into 10 seconds of courage is to get support from other like-minded individuals. When you invest time and energy into being a part of a community, they’ll be there to rally around you. Need support, advice, or a dose of motivation? Call on the peeps in the community! Additionally, being part of a community will help you stay accountable to your goals and stay on track even when those insecurities rear their ugly head and try to keep you from moving forward.
In return, you can do the same for the others in the community – be there to support, share your experiences, and help hold them accountable to their goals. It’s important to support one another and celebrate victories along the way too.
If you’re not already part of a community, I highly encourage you to find one! There are dozens of groups out there – just do a search on Facebook or LinkedIn and you’ll find a bunch. If you want to be part of an in-person community, check Meetup.com and see what’s available near you.
3. Take part in Challenges
Want a fun way to tap into 10 seconds of courage? Take part in challenges! When you join a group challenge, you instantly tap into a wealth of resources and support systems. There are so many benefits to participating in group challenges. Here are more of the benefits:
- You’ll have access to a group of other like-minded people who understand what you’re going through and can offer valuable insights, advice, and support.
- The collective wisdom of the group of participants as everyone shares lessons learned, experiences, and more.
- Cheerleaders! Every step of the way, during the challenge, you’ll have people cheering you on. And sometimes you just need someone in your corner rooting for you to keep you motivated and moving forward.
- Accountability. The participants will help hold you accountable for taking action and making progress on your goals.
- You’ll feel energized and motivated to push yourself further than you ever thought possible because you don’t want to let your teammates down.
- Access to expert leaders! You’ll receive guidance from an expert leader who knows what it takes to succeed not only in business but life too.
It happens just once a year (the live challenge), but I highly recommend Kelly McCausey’s Stretch Yourself Challenge! Past participants rave about how this challenge helped them find courage, face their fears, stop procrastinating, take action, and show up bolder than ever. But more than that, attendees love the comradery and connections made during the month-long challenge – connections that often lead to collaborations and more. (Note: this is more of a business challenge – geared towards content creators, but there is lots of mindset coaching and talk, too!)
4. Ask someone to Dare you
If your insecurities keep you stuck, procrastinating and the big moves just aren’t happening ask someone to dare you! This could be just the nudge you need to find that courage to take action and move forward. By asking someone to dare you, you also now have accountability and an added layer of motivation too!
This strategy works with great results. I’ll mention Kelly McCausey again – she used this in her monthly group coaching and asked her members what they would like someone to dare them to do (around creating content). Afterwards, she dared them and established some ground rules – it had to be either written or audio, and they had one month to complete the dare. At the end of the month the members were excited with the courage they found to take action and create products, and more.
Keep in mind that not just anyone should be an “I dare you, buddy.” The ideal person you want to ask would be somebody who knows you well enough to give honest feedback but also believes in your ability to achieve great things (if you’ve been working with a coach, they could be the perfect person to ask).
5. Lean into accountability
Accountability is about taking ownership of your actions and their results. You’re in charge of your success; this can be both terrifying and exhilarating all at once! Sometimes when you’re accountable to yourself, it’s easy to let insecurity and fear run the show – preventing you from having those 10 seconds of courage to act.
The solution? Lean into accountability! Whether you work with an accountability buddy, a group, or a coach they can provide the support and encouragement to help you find your courage and that inner brave action-taker within!
6. Books, Podcasts, Videos
Consuming inspiring content – whether it’s books, podcasts, or videos – that encourages and motivates can be a fantastic way to tap into courage. Below are some resources worth checking out:
Books
- The Big Leap – Gay Hendricks
- The 5 Second Rule – Mel Robbins
- Untamed – Glennon Doyle
- Get Past Your Sh*t – Kelly McCausey & 18 co-authors
- Atomic Habits – James Clear
Podcasts
- The Life Coach School Podcast – Brooke Castillo
- Goal Digger Podcast – Jenna Kutcher
- The School of Greatness – Lewis Howes
Videos
- Get Back Up – Nick Vujicic
- Choose Your Hard – Marcus “Elevation” Taylor
Ted Talks
- How great leaders inspire action – Simon Sinek
- Your body language may shape who you are – Amy Cuddy
- The Power of Vulnerability – Brené Brown
This is a very small list. There are many more out there so you’re sure to find the inspirational content you need with a quick Google search.
Now that I’ve shared these six ways to tap into 10 seconds of courage, here’s an exercise you can do whenever you need to find that courage.
Exercise: How to Tap into Your Courage and Take Action
Try this simple exercise to help you tap into some inner courage.
1. Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
2. Visualize yourself doing something that is outside of your comfort zone – this could be anything from going to a local networking event to going on a blind date.
3. Now, notice how you feel in your body when you think about doing this thing. Do you feel tightness in your chest or stomach? Do your palms start to sweat?
4. Once you’ve identified the physical sensations that come up for you, take another deep breath and imagine them dissipating.
5. Now, recall a time when you felt brave and invincible – maybe it was when you stood on stage and spoke in front of an audience (or spoke virtually) or maybe it was when you moved to a new place, away from everything, and everyone, you ever knew. Really relive that moment and notice how it feels in your body.
6. Now that you’ve tapped into those powerful emotions, open your eyes and take a few minutes to write down one small action step that you can do today to move closer towards your goal.
When you can identify the physical sensations your body feels when you are anxious or fearful, you can then replace them with the emotions you felt during a time you were courageous and brave.
Remember, courage is not the absence of fear; it’s doing something despite fear. We all have fears and anxieties, but we don’t have to let them control us. Next time you’re facing something that you’re scared of, remember all you need is 10 seconds of courage. Just take a deep breath and plunge ahead—you’ll be glad that you did and so will those around you because you bring magic to the world by showing up!
