‘All Serious Daring starts from Within’
Remember when you were a kid, happily playing with your friends, and all of a sudden someone comes up with some crazy idea that seems really fun but terrifying at the same time? You both laugh nervously, and then he says… ’I dare you!’ Oh no, not ‘I dare you’. Now you have to do it! But secretly you are relieved because this is a great excuse. You can’t NOT do it now. You must take the leap.
Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but never been able to muster up the courage? Are you afraid to take a risk? I am not a huge risk taker but I strive to be. In doing so, I’ve discovered a fun remedy which helps in overcoming some of the fear and seriousness that accompanies trying something a little scary. Here it is:
Just dare yourself.
That’s right, dare yourself to do it and see what happens. Recently I’ve been daring myself to do things I know I should try, but am afraid. I dared myself to quit my boring, cubicle job in May and take a trip to Central America by myself. I dared myself to apply to be a writer for one of my favorite web sites even though they weren’t accepting applications any more. I thought, what’s the worst thing that can happen? The funny thing is, once I’d actually made the decision, it wasn’t that scary anymore. It’s as if the simple act of deciding to do it, stripped away the unknowns, because I’d soon learn exactly what I needed to do.
When traveling, it seems that a lot of people, (me included sometimes), are afraid of certain destinations they may secretly want to explore. Basic safety precautions aside, you can travel almost anywhere and be perfectly fine.
Once you take the leap, the net will appear.
You’ll figure out how to get there, how to find a place to stay, and where Internet is available. You’ll try local food because you’re hungry and you’ll find out how to say hello to that cute man in Italian simply because you really want to speak to him.
If you really want to try something but are terrified and can’t seem to dare yourself, tell a friend your secret desire and ask them to dare you. Out loud. The voicing of a dare is powerful. It triggers that time in our lives when friend’s peer pressure was real and frightening. It creates that defense mechanism in us that screams, I’m not a chicken! I can do it.
Once you start getting comfortable daring yourself, you can apply it to other parts of your life. Afraid to take that swing dancing class? To start your own business? To hike up that mountain? I dare you to do it. In fact, I triple dog dare you. :)
What have you ‘dared’ to do lately?
Examples of fabulous, daring people:
Kris Carr dared herself to film her journey from a stage 4 cancer diagnosis to a new healthy lifestyle and thriving career.
Lea Woodward and her husband dared themselves to start their own location independent businesses and travel around the world.
Related posts:
What a great way to take the leap!
I dared myself to move to a new state and start a business! When I have an idea and someone says it can’t be done – that’s really them daring me to try it and I do.
Thanks for this fresh look on this important subject!
This is a really cool post! I have never really thought about it in this context, but after you write about how if we dare ourselves to do things and do them, it’s so much less scary, I realized that it’s so true! I’ve decided that I need to start daring myself to do more things, not just with traveling and going places, but in my everyday life. So thanks for the life-inspiration! Hope you’re doing well!
Thanks Em! I’m trying to be more daring too, there’s always room for more… :)