20 Seconds of Insane Courage is All That Stands Between You and Your Dreams

“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” -- We Bought a Zoo

This is one of my favorite quotes from the movie We Bought a Zoo, which was first an international best-selling memoir written by Benjamin Mee, who bought a zoo that was falling apart, and moved his family there. There’s a great scene at the end of the movie where he takes his kids to the place that he met their mother and he acts out the scene where he first got up the courage to talk to her, using his 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery.

I like this quote because… think about all the greatness we could achieve, if we pushed all our fears aside for just 20 seconds and just did or said whatever it was that was on our mind. I’m not talking about mean things like yelling at the waiter because your order is messed up, or yelling at your kid’s teacher because you didn’t agree with how they scored an essay. Or flipping off the driver who cut you off as you turned into the grocery store parking lot.

I’m talking about 20 seconds of insane bravery that allow us to do those little things like take risks, step out of our comfort zones and follow the dreams in our heart.

So, maybe I exaggerated a bit in my title (It's hard to get your point across in a title, while sticking with the new iTunes guidelines!) It DOES take more than insane courage to get the things we want, but 20 seconds of insane courage is a fantastic starting point. 

 Why are we afraid to start new things? Why are we afraid to show people who we really are? Where does this fear come from?

 Often it is the fear that we will be judged by someone important to us, and sometimes by people who we really don’t care about at all.

When I was a fifth grader, I loved playing my guitar. Most of the adults in my world at that time, listened to country music and bluegrass. And I had just discovered John Denver. He was the first singer that I loved and chose on my own, without anyone telling me his music was good. This was when KISS was big, and when most of the kids around me were listening to KISS, I got my first guitar and was obsessed with learning to play John Denver songs. That year, we went to Disney World for the first time, and we were allowed to get one souvenir. My brothers all got Mickey Mouse ears and Donald Duck hats. I went to a music store in the mall and bought the music for John Denver’s “I Want to Live” album.

This was what I loved. But, the kids at school made fun of me for listening to the “wrong” kind of music. And, I remember one day, my mom had to be somewhere else, so I had to walk with my guitar, just a few blocks to my lesson. There were older kids who made fun of me as I walked past. I remember being so scared of these big kids who were saying mean things about the little girl with the acoustic guitar in a case that was about as big as she was tall.

Over time, all the teasing got to me. I quit playing. I decided my voice wasn’t good enough to sing. And that was the end of pretty much anything music-related for me. What’s sad about this is that one year before, as a fourth grader, I had told my parents that I wanted to be a music teacher, and I started taking guitar lessons because I knew I needed to learn a few instruments. This was my dream when I was in elementary school. And I let all the negativity into my head—and the stupid thing was, I had the support of the most important people in my life, my parents. The people teasing me were not people I even cared about.

I think it is so interesting to look back at different times of my life and think about how my fear of what people thought affected my decisions. Because WHO CARES WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK? THIS IS YOUR LIFE! Not theirs.

How do we get out of our heads so we can even begin to take that leap, to step our of our comfort zone for that 20 seconds of insane courage? 

Head over to iTunes, or click the player below to hear the rest of this episode!

I would love to hear your thoughts about today’s episode. Post in the group, or on Instagram, message me, send me an email at [email protected]. Let me know how YOU will show your 20 seconds of extreme bravery this week, and tell me what YOU ARE ENOUGH means to you.

I am gearing  up for the end of the year. Next week, I’m talking about the Power of ONE. When I named my fitness company Power of Run, I chose that name because it was a play on the phrase power of one. One person can make a difference in this world. One thought, one action, can change a life. Next week, I’ll talk about how you can use that same thought—one minute at a time—to begin making changes that will transform your own life.

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About your Podcast Host:

Coach Kim explores topics that will help you power up your life so that you can design a life you love. If you are ready to think, feel, train and live like a champion, tune in for expert interviews and real talk that will give you the tools and courage you need to chase your dreams.

Coach Kim Peek is a fitness and real-food enthusiast who is also a theater-mom, dog-mom and breast cancer survivor. Kim has a number of coaching certifications including: ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor, USA Track and Field Level 1 Coach, USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach and Healthy Running. She is certified to teach a variety of fitness formats, and is constantly studying movement, motivation and other wellness topics to unlock success secrets for her audience. Kim is also a Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist and a Functional Aging Specialist.

You can hang out with Coach Kim online at:

www.CrushingMyGoals.com

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