Finding 20 Seconds of Insane Courage Can Change Everything

We women aren’t usually called to start a new job, a business or a project because it’s a good business model or financial opportunity. We do it because we have passion for something and want to bring it to life in ways that reward us and make the world a better place. Our passion gives us access to our purpose which unleashes our power. We build internal power when we do something that we didn’t think we could do.

Ali Brown, expert in women’s entrepreneurial success says, “Women’s courage has not caught up with our opportunity.” Perhaps you’ve experienced this for yourself. Do you hold yourself back from taking a big bite out of life? I’m always blown away by how much we underestimate what we can do. For me, when I go for something that I’m not 100% sure I can do, and then do it, it is the most exhilarating experience on earth. So yes, to follow your calling you will need to muster some courage. I like what Matt Damon’s character, Benjamin says to his son the movie, “We bought a Zoo”, “You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage.” That kind of courage will help you to say yes to opportunities that are sure to come your way now that you have declared a bigger future. And you will most likely need other skills and strengths…

I’m talking about the strengths that enable us to work through disappointments, setbacks and breakdowns. Moving towards anything that is bigger than you had before will bring up obstacles in the form of beliefs that have stopped you in the past. One of those beliefs is the ego saying that you need more qualification, certification, or experience to do what’s calling to you next. This can keep us stuck (or procrastinating). I know this all too well as I am making the final edits on my book. I feel like I should be farther along. I notice that I still haven’t settled on a sub-title. Things seem to be taking much longer than they should. Some of that is just the natural timing of the book but some of it comes from the “tall poppy syndrome”. I’m afraid that if I stick up too high I’ll get cut down. Maybe people won’t like it. Maybe it’s not good. Who do I think I am, calling myself an author or an expert? etc…

So it’s good to remember that it will probably not feel safe or comfortable to pursue what you feel called to do next. I’m here to remind you that this tension is supposed to be there. It is inviting you to grow! If you feel some resistance to stepping towards your evolutionary self’s desires, see if there are some hidden feelings lurking. Once we learn how to drop into the feeling that is underneath the behavior we can connect with it, love it and listen to what your younger self is saying. Then you can identify the belief she is expressing and mentor that part of yourself from the TRUTH about you and your capacity. We only grow to the degree that we em-POWER ourselves. No amount of reward, acknowledgement, or external affirmation can give us the permanent feeling of self-efficacy and confidence that comes from learning how to provide that emotional mentoring, inner affirmation and safety for ourselves. This is the opportunity that presents itself when we crawl out on the skinny branches of our lives.

Leading with Power & Grace: Partnering with the intelligence and choreography of the universe

The spiral is a wonderful metaphor for our upward journey of growth. This is the natural direction we gravitate to when free from these mental and emotional constraints. Take time to feel into the part of you (your essential self that has never been hurt or wounded or disappointed) that is life-positive (enthusiastic even) about what you envision for yourself. So there is both the deeper desires (YES!) and also some fear (NO!). The spiral gathers its force from the synergy of seeming opposites (The fear actually calls forth the courage!)—the way two opposing air flows make a hurricane swirl—and from the very path it traces: not simply forging ahead, but turning back repeatedly in a natural cycle of contraction and expansion, ebb and flow; not just climbing up, but leveling off only to come around again in a sweep that’s higher and wider each time.

So when you hit a plateau or even start to go down (we all do!) it is all part of the upward journey. Sometimes we need to rest. Remember, this isn’t about squeezing, pushing, forcing or sacrificing yourself for a goal. We can call on our feminine skills to do it in our own rhythm and style. No longer overriding or dominating those quieter parts of ourselves but connecting and partnering with them and all the treasures they hold.

As we learn and grow from our breakdowns and breakthroughs, the spiral brings us closer to the wisdom and truth at our core each pass around. When we do, we become more truly ourselves and rise higher in spiritual and personal power. The word power comes from Anglo-Norman French, Poeir which comes from an alteration of Latin Posse- to be able. What makes us able to create the things we most yearn for is the unequivocal passion and courage of our Evolutionary Self and our Co-Creative Powers of Energy, Mind, Feelings, Speech and Actions. They keep us living in alignment with our wiser, deeper self who knows the way!