About this episode
Welcome back to the Daily Mastermind… Quote of the Day is by Benjamin Hardy, “How you see yourself is how you act.” Today I want to talk to you about Courage. One of the things I love about the Daily Mastermind is that it has become a Daily Ritual for me. I am always learning, growing and needing inspiration, motivation and education. So when I learn I get to share and this is one of those times. Let me ask you a question… You know you have innate talents. You want to achieve success. You are faced with opportunities and experiences every single day… So what is it that is holding you back (most times) from going after what you truly desire? …what is keeping you from taking more risks and getting outside your comfort zone? Are you living too deep inside your comfort zone? Are you content with spending your days doing the same tasks and minimal efforts? I know most listening to this podcast are entrepreneurs but we also know that it is human nature to operate (primarily) inside your comfort zone. And yet, we know that most success, opportunity and adventure lies outside our comfort zone and current circumstances We also know that RISK is one of the keys to the gateway of success. So what is holding you back? How do you develop the courage to move forward in the face of fear and uncertainty? I was studying Og Mandino's Book “University of Success” the other day and came across some great thought son this. He said something that really made me think…Hopefully you are hurting deep down inside? Because…People don’t change when they feel good. They change when they are fed up. Think about examples of this in your life…(think about it) I mean, life itself has inevitable risks even when you don’t take risks or action. Risk taking in life is a lot like investing money. You need to determine if the risk-taking will be outweighed by the rewards. The higher the risk the more reward…yet, the higher the risk the more fear sets in. And as you get older, it is sometime more difficult to take risks. But...Change will sometimes wake you up. We all are given time, and you need to decide what you are going to do with it. Understand that as humans we do need some stress and uncertainty. We are designed to operate in times of stress and stress keeps us safe and adaptable in life. Of course, too much stress is not good either, so we need to learn balance. But how do you create balance? How much risk do we take and what risks to we choose? There is definitely not a one size fits all answer to this…we each need to evaluate and decide the level of risks that we need to take to fulfill our needs and also protect ourselves. It is all about balance when it comes to risk. But we also need to weigh that against our own definition of success and what we “WANT” in our lives….back to your Vision. Og Mandino says, “Boredom is the Legacy of Fear” which is a great quote to think about. Are you bored in life? Are you giving in to FEAR? Risk taking (ironically) is a major part of the cure to fear and boredom. So, I go back to how you talk risks and that is to evaluate the risk/reward payoff. Plus, you need to experiment a bit to determine your risk tolerance. Explore, Experiment. The point is to find ways to make yourself feel exhilarated and alive while also making progress toward your goals. Your BEST LIFE will come when you learn to create excitement, experiences and variety in your life. Then you are truly living your life. Most people are sitting on the sidelines of life waiting for the right opportunities and for life to throw them a bone. Don’t wait for life to bring you what you want. Be willing to jump in the game and start playing and taking some risks so you will enjoy life and be default create the success you are looking for. Another challenge we face is the need for CONTROL…I really struggle with this one. I’ve learned (and still learning) that you can try to label and control everything in your life or you can learn to start letting go… There is a real PARADOX with this idea of control that goes like this… "The highest form of control is when one surrenders all control” You’ve heard the phrase that you never really own anything unless you can give it away. It’s kinda like riding a bike or learning to ski…think about it…you need to give up all the mechanics of doing it and just “let go”. We always learn best by losing our ourselves, our identity and our current understanding of what we “think” works in life…because we cannot become until we let go of who we are. Ultimately, we will create the highest level of COURAGE when we surrender ourselves to whatever activity we are learning…and ironically that is also when we get the highest return or rewards in life…the biggest growth and success. So, you need to ask yourself one simple question, “what do you want in your life.” Then you will know how courageous you truly need to be to get there… And, as I mentioned earlier, you need to weigh that against your definition of success. Do you define success as “winning the game” or as “to try is to succeed”? When you change your definition of success and winning at the game of life to “trying is succeeding” and accept that failure is just a step closer to capturing your goals… That is when you become empowered and that is when FEAR stops having power of your life. That is when COURAGE starts to take shape and truly drive your actions and results you experience in your life. I encourage you to chose COURAGE. I encourage you to face your Fears. I encourage you to question your true definition of Success. If you star to seeing “trying” and “facing your fears” as your true definition of success, then you will truly become empowered…you will definitely see more results in your life…you will absolutely live your best life daily…and, you will begin to attract the best version of yourself into your present life. I hope these thoughts have got you thinking. If you feel they have, then I would also encourage you to share this episode with someone you know. Talk to them about what you are going to start doing to face your fears. Put it out there and it will help you grow. And, we would really appreciate your support for sharing this podcast as well. Thanks for listening. George Wright III