{"id":236325,"date":"2025-08-29T14:09:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T14:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/?p=236325"},"modified":"2025-08-29T16:46:59","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T16:46:59","slug":"why-courage-compounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/why-courage-compounds\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s your \u2018helicopter moment\u2019? Why courage compounds."},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” 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_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]

A few weeks ago, I found myself buckled into a helicopter seat, headset on, lifting off above the ancient sandstone cliffs and winding waters of Katherine Gorge in Australia\u2019s Northern Territory.<\/p>\n

Beside me sat my 90-year-old dad.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad, want to take a chopper ride over the Gorge?\u201d I\u2019d asked him earlier that morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, why not? I\u2019m not getting any younger,\u201d he said, slightly nervous.<\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t dwell on the ‘what-ifs?’ He simply decided it was worth the ride.<\/p>\n

And it was.<\/p>\n

Yet how often do we let our fear of what might go wrong direct our decisions. Not fear of falling from the sky, but the subtler fears – of embarrassing ourselves, of being found out as not as smart as others think, of ruffling feathers or of stepping up but falling short.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||84px||false|false” 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:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/lu4W8vt6Q9A” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”50%” width_last_edited=”off|desktop” module_alignment=”center” min_height=”1000px” height=”1000px” max_height=”1000px” custom_margin=”||-160px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”94px||||false|false” custom_padding=”6px||||false|false” 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_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]

In\u00a0The Courage Gap<\/em><\/a>, I write about how these fears\u2014often unconscious and disguised in more socially acceptable clothes like perfectionism, people-pleasing, or the need for consensus\u2014can hold us back from taking the very actions that would fuel our growth, advance our goals, and create greater value for others.<\/p>\n

We tell ourselves we\u2019re \u201cwaiting for the right time,\u201d \u201cprotecting others\u2019 feelings,\u201d or \u201cjust doing more preparation.\u201d But beneath it, what we\u2019re really doing is avoiding the risk of failure, rationalizing our caution, or giving ourselves cover not to take the very step we know, deep down, would move us forward most.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s costly.<\/p>\n

Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson, who has studied psychological safety for over 20 years, has found that when people don\u2019t feel safe to take interpersonal risks, they default to silence \u2014 withholding ideas, concerns, and questions that could spark innovation or prevent mistakes. Over time, this erodes not just performance, but confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We regret our excesses of caution far more than our excesses of courage.<\/h3>\n

Even when our brave actions don\u2019t land with the ideal outcome, we walk away with learning, growth, and often, unexpected opportunities. But when we hold back, telling ourselves we\u2019re just being \u2018prudent\u2019 it exacts what I call a hidden \u2019timidity tax\u2019 that is rarely obvious in the moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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    We don\u2019t just stay where we are \u2014 we shrink our own capacity to stretch.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    We gradually lose confidence in our ability to do hard things.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    We reinforce avoidance, making future acts of courage harder.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    As I\u2019ve witnessed many times in others:<\/p>\n

    Comfort doesn\u2019t stay comfortable forever.<\/h3>\n

    On the flip side, every time we take action that defies our doubts and fears, we grow a little braver in our own estimation. And research backs this up.\u00a0Neuroscience tells us that every time we choose to act amid our fears \u00a0– even in a small way – we strengthen the neural pathways that make courage more accessible next time.<\/p>\n

    The reverse is also true: every time we avoid, we strengthen the habit of avoidance. And the cost of caution compounds. In a world moving at speed, that hidden \u201ctimidity tax\u201d<\/em> we pay for holding back and ‘playing not to lose’ can be easily underestimated.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    <\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-50px||||false|false” 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:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qNe9K3cHBus” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” 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_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-16px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]

    My encouragement to you is this:<\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t wait for the perfect moment. Don’t wait for perfect conditions or until you feel 100% confident. The conditions will never be perfect, and confidence is a result, not a prerequisite, of action. Rather, identify one action you\u2019ve been putting off:<\/p>\n

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      The conversation you\u2019ve been avoiding (we nearly all have at least one!)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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      The idea you\u2019ve sat on, waiting to refine it to perfection<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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      The decision you keep procrastinating on making, waiting for the \u2018fog to clear\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Then take it.<\/p>\n

      Because whether it\u2019s climbing into a helicopter at 90 or taking a leap in your career, courage compounds.<\/p>\n

      The sooner you start, the more it grows.<\/p>\n

      Promise.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      A few weeks ago, I found myself buckled into a helicopter seat, headset on, lifting off above the ancient sandstone cliffs and winding waters of Katherine Gorge in Australia\u2019s Northern Territory. Beside me sat my 90-year-old dad. \u201cDad, want to take a chopper ride over the Gorge?\u201d I\u2019d asked him earlier that morning. \u201cSure, why […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":236326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[39,87,184,234,258,377,1143,1144,628,1145,739,805,1146],"class_list":["post-236325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-action","tag-australia","tag-change","tag-courage","tag-dad","tag-fear","tag-helicopter","tag-katherine-gorge","tag-margie-warrell","tag-outback-australia","tag-parents","tag-purpose","tag-the-courage-gap"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236325"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":236343,"href":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236325\/revisions\/236343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}