How 20 seconds of courage can change your life

Have you ever longed to try something new but stopped yourself because you thought, maybe I’m not the person that is right for that, even though you were interested? Have you ever closed the door on something before ever giving yourself the chance? Have you ever let go of a dream because you didn’t think you were quite good enough?

I want to share with you the story of Jennifer Anne Gordon. Jennifer was working in an isolated role, she was cut off from connections while living in an abusive relationship. Her confidence was at an all-time low while her fear and imposter syndrome were at an all-time high. Now, Jennifer had always had a longing to try ballroom dancing, but was always too afraid to try herself. She was even given a gift certificate at one point but The fear made her put off this desire for years - eventually – and we are talking after years of looking at that gift certificate sitting on her desk - she pulled up 30 seconds of courage to call and make an appointment.

When she went in for that first dance lesson Her entire body shook in fear and she almost didn’t go inside but again, she pulled up 30 seconds of courage and pushed herself. And I’m so glad, as we should never allow fear to stop us from experiencing the things we want in life. Jennifer ended up loving it and found that ballroom dance brought her back to where she was supposed to be – a long journey to becoming herself. She divorced her abusive husband. She became an award-winning ballroom dancer. She became a ballroom dance instructor. She met the love of her life through ballroom dance. Once Jennifer stopped telling herself she could not do something, she opened her life up to so much more. She stopped telling herself she could not write, and she started writing. Jennifer wrote her first book and then won the Kindle award for best horror and suspense novel! So amazing!

Now I want you to think about what Jennifer’s life might be like had she not developed the courage to walk into that ballroom dance class.

Would she have found herself again?

Would she have left the abusive relationship?

Would she have found an exciting, award-winning, and fulfilling new career?

Would she have met the love of her life, her best friend, and her current husband?

Would she have had the confidence to write a book?

Now I want you to think about what your life could be like if you were to go after the secret desires you hide away.

What kind of beauty could you bring into your life by learning to move forward, walking side by side with your fear, instead of hiding behind it?

I urge you to open that door.

Do not self-censor yourself. There are enough outside influences that try to beat you down, you owe yourself not to contribute. Stop telling yourself you can’t do this or you can’t do that, put down all your limiting beliefs and start telling yourself you CAN.

Bring self awareness to your own limiting beliefs. We all have them, often without realizing it (Jennifer wasn’t fully aware that she was the one holding her own self prisoner until she challenged herself), these limiting beliefs are created through our own personal stories, through things we’ve been told by family and friends, things we’ve absorbed from the constant onslaught of media around us- there are so many different aspects influencing our beliefs. You must take control and choose the beliefs that will serve you.

This makes me reflect on the way they train baby elephants -

In the practice of training baby elephants, the first method they use is tying one of the elephants' legs with a rope and attaching it to a stake in the ground. Because these are baby elephants a much smaller rope can be used and still keep the baby in place. The baby elephant will pull and pull on their rope but will eventually learn that it can’t break the rope and so it will give up.

But, elephants grow fast and we’ve all seen a fully grown elephant – enormous! And not an animal that a simple rope tied to a stake is going to stop. Right? Except it does. That same thin rope that was used when they were babies, continues to contain them as adults tied to that simple stake and they never try to break free.

They never try to break free. They have accepted their limitations.

You and I have too. You are constrained by the stories you tell yourself about your background. How many limitations have you accepted in life? Either because of your own belief or that of others? How many limitations are you living that you haven’t even realized – you are the one keeping your own self captive?

These limiting beliefs, they are the beliefs that hold you back, the beliefs that tell you you can’t do something, the beliefs that you aren’t good enough, they are the beliefs that keep you from embodying your true self.

It’s time to start shining that flashlight of awareness on your own beliefs. Stop settling. Question your bullshit. Ask yourself why you are thinking this way. It’s time to crush, destroy and replace any story of limitation in your head.

You are capable – There are no limits. The only limits that exist are the ones we put upon ourselves. Go out and learn what you want to learn, do what you want to do, experience what you want to experience - you are a magnificent, unique, and unrepeatable person – you are a work of art, a beautiful soul that can no longer be held by small, insignificant ropes of belief.

Every day, remind yourself, You are limitless.