{"id":18779,"date":"2024-05-28T19:01:22","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T19:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/?p=18779"},"modified":"2024-06-04T22:11:16","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T22:11:16","slug":"the-20-seconds-of-courage-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/everything-else\/the-20-seconds-of-courage-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"The 20 Seconds of Courage Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

As part of my operation \u201cRevisit the past 15 years of Nerd Fitness,\u201d and after writing about our<\/span> \u200b<\/span>Never 2 in a Row Rule<\/span>\u200b<\/span><\/a>, I updated one of the most popular posts and ideas I\u2019ve ever put together:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200b<\/span>20 Seconds of Courage<\/span>\u200b<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What started as an obscure line from an obscure Matt Damon movie, <\/span>We Bought a Zoo,<\/span><\/i> has since become a rallying cry for the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, our community of nerds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feel free to<\/b> \u200b<\/span>read the full article<\/b>\u200b<\/span><\/a>, but here\u2019s the quote from the movie, where Matt Damon is recounting to his son how he used 20 seconds of courage to meet his wife:<\/b><\/p>\n

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You know, sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, just literally 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery, and I promise you something great will come of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Our lives are made up of a ton of quick actions that often take far less than 20 seconds. Starting a conversation. Walking through a door to the gym. Deciding where to sit in a restaurant.<\/span><\/p>\n

And because we\u2019ve made so many of these decisions, there\u2019s a ton of inertia and history that might make us think we\u2019re incapable of change.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, as Alan Watts points out, \u201cyou are under no obligation to be who you were five minutes ago.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And as my friend Tim Urban from Wait But Why shares, the paths behind us might be closed, but we always have choices moving forward:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Use 20 Seconds of Courage to Do Hard Things<\/b><\/h2>\n

Brandon Sanderson gave a great virtual talk during the pandemic about doing hard things. <\/b>He encourages us to adopt the following mentality rather than just \u201chope things will work out!\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI can do hard things. Doing hard things has intrinsic value, and they will make me a better person, even if I end up failing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And sometimes we might need to do a hard thing that\u2019s scary. Whether it\u2019s joining a gym or standing up for yourself at work, or finally setting boundaries with your family\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s okay if you\u2019re scared, by the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doing scary things is tough, and we\u2019re wired to trust our fears and avoid scary scenarios, which has kept us alive for hundreds of thousands of years as a species.<\/span><\/p>\n

But doing hard things is usually a prerequisite for change, and our fear often doesn\u2019t match the reality of the event itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Seneca shares in his letter to Lucilius:<\/span><\/p>\n

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“There are more things, Lucilius, likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Which is where 20 seconds of courage comes in!<\/span><\/p>\n

The 20 Seconds of Courage Challenge<\/b><\/h2>\n

I think this quote from Jerzy Gregorek paints an interesting picture:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cEasy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Change can happen in an instant, and your life\u2019s path can change as a result of any single decision you make.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to participate:<\/b><\/p>\n