I told you before that you are not supposed to know how to do things. I told you that courage can’t be sold.
What I heard back from people is that they either can’t find courage, or they think they don’t have it.
Wrong.
Everyone has courage, the problem is they think those that are takings risks had access to it since the beginning.
Courage doesn’t show up until you need it.
If I were to drop you in the middle of the jungle, you wouldn’t cry until you starve. You would find some balls to act, because you realize that there’s no turning back. Having the option to turn back is an obstacle.
Your problem right now is not the lack of courage. It’s the abundance of choices.
Want to find courage? Quit your job. Pop the question. Sell your home.
The more you think you have to lose, the more you’ll stay still. The more you stay still, the more you’ll lose.
Stop listening to yourself, do what you need to be left with only one path: the one that leads to that goal of yours.
Not only you’ll love the journey, you’ll also find that balls were with you all along.
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
A girl could always use a set of balls!
Thanks for the encouragement
I’m glad I could be of service.
Well said! I’m sick of hearing people’s excuses that they are too scared to take action to improve their life. It’s a vicious circle of them reinforcing that they can’t by their own limited mindset.
May more people finally start taking risks and live their lives!!
The best way to overcome your fears are to live them
Except when it comes to talking to a girl. I’m too scared to do that.
we’re pretty harmless! Usually we just like a guy to show some attention and be nice to us.
Welcome to Argentinian sarcasm, girl
“Quit your job. Pop the question. Sell your home.” … love it! Simply put, great advice.
I do what I can.
Marbles. It’s all about the marbles.
YOU HAVE NO MARBLES!! sound bite Dennis Haysbert sound bites
I’d love to know what you are talking about…
I just finished reading Deep Survival by Gonzales a week or so ago, and this reminds me a bit of that.
His premise, though, is that there are some people who react ‘correctly’ in high-risk situations, and some that go into denial and freeze up. For every 13-year-old girl that walks out of the Peruvian rainforest after crash landing there 3 days before, there will be a double-handful of 30-something Ironman competitors who don’t make it out because they froze up or otherwise refuse to acknowledge the situation they are in.
They don’t find their balls, as you would say.
Interesting stuff to think about…I find that I react pretty calmly and rationally in high-stress situations, but then, Gonzales claims that the immediate reaction is mainly an emotional one, so hopefully I don’t get SO cold and calculating that I fail to make it out of the rainforest!
Interesting, maybe the jungle analogy is not the best, but I think it does apply when it’s not a life or death situation, like when you want to quit your job. You won’t freeze once you leave it, you have enough time to think calmly your next move.
PS: You wouldn’t die there, you would get out alive and write a great post about it
Reading your post scared the crap out of me, which is great. I thought I was being pretty brave with my career, but I realized my “abundance of choices” is still holding me back. I have to take more leaps. Thanks for the push.
Well, I am a scary man. Fear rocks, doesn’t it?!
When it comes to things that matter, I “find my balls” (though I may freeze up on smaller, unimportant decisions).
Yesterday was just such a day, actually… I hit the point where I need to either suck it up and suffer, quit my job, or start a business of my own. So last night I started laying the groundwork for a business.
I’m tired of working for someone else, and the recent job change didn’t make enough difference, apparently.
Good for you Matthew, congratulations and I hope things work out for you. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.
Mine where in the corner.
It happens often.
“The more you think you have to lose, the more you’ll stay still. The more you stay still, the more you’ll lose.”
that’s profound. i love this!
Thanks Floreta
The timing of this post could not have been better. I’ve been in discussions of “burning my bridges” i.e.; quitting the job, and making it impossible to earn a living without starting something up. Every so often, I run into something like this and it amplifies my desire to do it.
Monday’s the big day when I tell them.
Keep me updated Mehul, good for you!
True, though I should note that courage means relatively little without wisdom. Simply acting, doing something big and bold, doesn’t guarantee success.
I agree, and never stated the contrary
I’m sorry Carlos, but you don’t need to quit your job to find balls.
I hope readers reading this don’t take your quitting your job advice too literally. Instead, plan a little, it’ll be good for you and all of us.
I would never say you don’t need to plan. But if shit happens, would you sit and let it cover you?
Plain in simple action cures fear. I spent the sumer of 2009 traveling the country, rock climbing and jumping off cliffs just like the picture above. There where plenty of times when I’d freeze because I was to scared to do something. But I just had to keep reminding myself that action cures fear, and if I just do it, and get outside of my comfort zone, I’ll grow and become stronger.
Get outside your comfort zone, take some action, and cure your fears!
Great article.
You’ve said it Mike
Well written, Carlos. I couldn’t agree with you more when you say “Your problem right now is not the lack of courage. It’s the abundance of choices.”
We’re constantly bombarded with choices, advertising, and things we need to do and spend money on. Quite simply though, if we’re not doing what we love, there are plenty of things that will take up that time. And you never get it back.
Time is a bitch, isn’t it?
I love Untemplater
It loves you too.