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Have you ever found yourself standing at the edge of something you knew you needed to do\u2014knowing you needed to step up or speak up or lean in and ‘take the leap’, yet hesitating and holding back?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been there.<\/p>\n
Not just in life, but quite literally, on a trapeze platform!<\/p>\n
I shared this somewhat embarrassing experience at a recent keynote speech to ‘Googlers’ at Google HQ.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” vertical_offset=”-27px” link_option_url=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/yLnSFKykljg” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/yLnSFKykljg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” vertical_offset=”-7px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
Yet as uncomfortable (and professionally humiliating!) as that experience was, it drove home a deep truth:<\/p>\n
Courage is a decision, not a feeling.<\/strong><\/p>\n Heck, if I had waited to feel brave to do many of the best things I’ve done in my life, I’d still be waiting. My guess is that the same is true for you!<\/p>\n Yet there’s a misconception about courage that I often encounter. It’s that courage is an emotional state… a feeling… in which we feel brimming with bravado and all our doubts and misgivings have evaporated into thin air.<\/p>\n Not so.<\/em><\/p>\n The much lauded virtue of ‘courage’ isn’t an emotion we feel, it’s a decision we make. A decision to step forward amid the risks and the fear and the discomfort that generally accompanies breaking ranks with the status quo in pursuit of a better one.<\/p>\n As such, it’s also a learnable skill that we can develop. After all, we humans wouldn\u2019t have sailed across oceans by starlight or landed on the moon without the capacity to take action despite your fear. It’s why I wrote my new book, The Courage Gap<\/strong><\/em><\/a> – to help people get more comfortable with being uncomfortable; embracing ‘the growing pains’ that come with moving toward a worthwhile endeavor, making a meaningful change, or rising to the challenges that life throws our way (if you haven’t had one lately, its coming!)<\/p>\n So, my challenge to you:<\/strong><\/p>\n Identify something you know you need to do but have been putting off.<\/p>\n A conversation you\u2019ve avoided? A decision you\u2019ve delayed? A change you\u2019ve resisted?<\/em><\/p>\n Imagine how your life could improve if you took action. Research shows that procrastination is really just a delaying tactic for avoiding the chance of failure. Yet over time, we actually create more stress for ourselves by delaying action than moving forward. It’s why peopel are three times more likely to regret the chance they did not take versus those they did! As I wrote in the Courage Gap, cold water doesn\u2019t get warmer if you jump later.<\/p>\n Delaying action exacts an increasingly hidden ‘timidity tax.’<\/strong><\/p>\n Here\u2019s to you deciding to step into discomfort, interpreting it as a cue to move forward, not to retreat. And if you need some help, I have just the book for you! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Margie<\/em><\/p>\n Upcoming Events:<\/strong><\/p>\n If you live in Washington DC or NYC, I have extra a few tickets for two upcoming book events – at Bezos Earth Fund in Washington DC (2\/6) where I’ll be in conversation with the CEO of Time Magazine on closing the courage gap on climate change and the Australian Consulate in NYC (1\/29). Please contact my team<\/a> if you’d like to attend. Spots very limited.<\/p>\n Close the ‘Courage Gap’ in your Team:<\/strong><\/p>\n If you’d like me to speak<\/strong><\/a> at your upcoming event about how to close the ‘courage gap’ in your team or organization, please reach out. More information on bulk orders here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n