Daring Greatly

"Behold the turtle. He only makes progress when he sticks his head out." James Bryant Conant

Do you consider yourself a risk-taker? Do you get excited about the prospect of trying something new, something you’ve never done before?

There is something scary about stepping outside your comfort zone, but there is also something incredibly exciting. You are giving yourself the opportunity to learn something new and this can only make you that much stronger.

I recently had an experience that was quite challenging and there were many people who questioned why I didn’t simply walk away, for that would have been the easiest thing to do.

But I didn’t. Not because I was unafraid, in fact, I had moments of pure terror.

No, I choose to stick with it because I was willing to take a risk, to show up, no matter the cost, to be vulnerable. I stuck my head out and I prepared to rumble.

Was it easy? Heck no. Was it worth it? Absolutely!

What I learned from this experience is that it’s okay not to back down, it’s okay to look your adversaries in the eye and meet their challenge, it’s okay to be brave. I also learned that I am a lot stronger than I thought I was. Because I was willing to stick my head out, I now can hold my head up with pride, honor, and knowing.

When you find yourself hesitating about something, ask yourself, what am I afraid of? What is the worst that can happen? If you can live with the answers to these questions, I strongly encourage you to lean into your fear, face your demons, and prepare to come out a better version of yourself.

"Remember, it is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done something better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again…who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly." Brene Brown.

Be the turtle – stick your head out.