Courage And Commitment In Uncertain Times

I know. Crazy times. This episode is really special. We know these are challenging times, and if you or your business isn’t doing well, it’s going to be extremely relevant.
 
 How are you using or spending your time right now?
 
 Amplifying anything requires amplifying time, and one of the things that amplifies time is getting VERY comfortable with what you do. But the moment you think to yourself, “I don’t want any more risk or fear in my life,” a message goes up to the universe and they put you on the list for pickups. 
 
 On this show, Dan Sullivan and I focus on the importance of fear, courage, and commitment in your business and life in general, especially in uncertain times like we’re experiencing now.
 
 I recently read a statistic from Harvard Business Review about men in particular. It said that if they retire at around age 50 and they’re not back in the game within 18 months, their chances of succeeding ever again go down into the single digits. 
 
 What I believe is that without enough tension, hunger, and fear, your courage disappears. When you’re comfortable without anything to do, sitting around and not taking risks, your courage dissolves. You almost need to have fear on your side to amplify your courage. 
 
 Dan relates courage to goal setting. Lots of people have goals, but they’ve got the process of how you achieve goals backwards. Ninety percent of people say, “I can’t achieve that goal yet because I don’t have the confidence to do it.” 
 
 Confidence is a result of doing the thing you think you cannot do, and it’s the process of achieving the goal that gives you capability. You have to start BEFORE you actually have the confidence or capability. You have to take a risk when you’re not guaranteed up front you’re actually going to pull it off. That’s when FEAR pops us and wakes up the whole system. 
 
 How do you do that? You make a commitment. Whatever you have to change or go through to make the commitment to get to your goal is what you need to do. Is it scary? You bet. This is where courage is required. 
 
 Courage is a skill that grows through practice. It’s like a muscle you have to work out. There WILL be a resistance that’s going to scare you because you don’t YET have the confidence and capabilities, but if you commit to being amplified, even though you’re not sure how that’s actually going to happen, you’ll reap the rewards in the end.
 
 Okay, I’m gonna get a little metaphysical on you here: the way that I view the universe is that the universe loves life and whenever it has a chance, it’s gonna pack and fit and squeeze life into every crevice it can find, just like moss. 
 
 There are UNINTENTIONAL thoughts and INTENTIONAL thoughts. 
 
 I think of ideas and thoughts as objects, and the clearer they are, the faster you can realize them and make them true. When you’re on target, on task, and doing what you’re meant to do, the universe will help you find ways to make things happen. The right people and opportunities show up.
 
 On the opposing side, when you’re not specific about what you want, the universe is going to give you what it thinks you want, which could include pollution and noise. Specificity is really key. 
 
 The way I would build my courage when I knew I had to sell something in order to survive or get to the next level was to imagine myself performing the speech in front of the audience. I would VISUALIZE it. I would smell it, taste it, touch it. I could look inside the audience’s eyes and see their souls. And it works. Every. Single. Time.
 
 It’s the combination of commitment and courage that creates a new capability, and confidence is the reward for doing that.