Overcoming your fears and doubts through courage to find ultimate happiness

Have you seen the movie “We Bought a Zoo” with Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson? If you haven’t, stop reading this post. Rent it or you know what, just go ahead and buy it because it’s a great one for sure! After you are done watching it, then come back to read this post! Otherwise, I’m going to give some parts away.

The first scene below Matt Damon’s character tells his son about the idea of 2o seconds of courage. He basically says that being courageous may be embarrassing, but that it’s worth it. Later on in the movie, he reenacts the moment he first met their mother who has since passed away. What if he didn’t take that leap of faith to talk to her? He couldn’t just pass by and always wonder “what if I would have said something to her?”. So he made an insane decision to give it a try. Check out for yourself in the second clip to see what happens because of those 20 seconds of courage.

“Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Just literally 20 seconds of just embarrassing bravery, and I promise you something great will come of it.”

Alright, go get a tissue to dry your eyes and continue reading! 🙂

Fear.

It’s probably the one single emotion that inhibits humans from pursuing what we truly desire. Maybe it’s that new job you want to apply for, but you’re too afraid to pursue. Or maybe, you’re afraid to tell someone your utmost and heartfelt feelings.

So why? Why is fear such a difficult emotion to overcome? Facing our fears might sometimes mean that we have to give up comfort and stability. That job you are thinking about leaving provides you a consistent salary with benefits. You don’t want to be judged for failing, not to mention the effect failure can have on our ego at times. You wonder what people will think or if they will be disappointed in your decision that may seem selfish.

Maybe telling someone how you feel could lead to rejection. Or perhaps taking a leap of faith and trusting someone with your heart could lead to yet another heartbreak. That means you have to put your feelings on the chopping block with the uncertainty of the future. I mean how many times can you pick up the shattered pieces of your heart and confidence before you just can’t anymore? It’s exhausting, draining, and disheartening; I know.   

What if these new ventures in life don’t workout?…

But what if they do?

I think we often focus on the negative side of the “what if?”. Did you know that there’s a positive side of “what if” too? What if in finding a new job, you are able to pursue a means of living that you are actually passionate about? That career change could even mean more financial freedom, more overall happiness in your life, or more time spent with people you value most.

What if being vulnerable with someone and taking the risk to invest your feelings leads to something spectacular? How would you have known that if you never had the courage to give that person a chance?

What if this one single person knows and understands what you’ve been through and is now helping you pick up the shattered mess of heartbreaks  from the past? Maybe this person will end up being the one that you can share your life and future with.

You see, I used to be that person who was okay with staying in my comfort zone. I wouldn’t dare try something new if it meant I might possibly fail. And putting up a guard around others has been pretty easy for me. It’s a challenge to keep letting people in your life knowing that there is always the potential of them walking all over you, taking advantage of you, or just flat out disappointing you. So over time, I learned to just build up this invincible wall to protect my heart and feelings. I did not want to take any sort of risk if there was the potential of a negative “what if” becoming a reality.

However, as 2016 is dwindling down, I have started to reflect on the amount of courage I have found within myself. My resilience after some challenging moments this year has really surprised me. The Loretta from a few years ago would not have been this resilient. I would never have taken the risks (and yes, that’s plural!) that I have decided to pursue this year. Instead of settling, I have decided to take a road that is pretty foggy, has a lot of obstacles, and I definitely don’t have a map to guide me along the way.

However, this new found courage has allowed me to trust in myself. I may not know exactly where things are going in a few areas of my life, but I do know that somehow I will manage to find a way to the ultimate destination of my life.

Although I may get lost, I may take a wrong turn and have to start over, or I may trip and fall, I will still be content in knowing that I am trying. I don’t want to look back and think about the positive “what ifs” that could have come from taking risks.  

You can still go into something that causes you to break out of your comfort zone with good judgement. You can still remain true to yourself all throughout these courageous risks. But until you are willing to go through the fear, then you will never truly know what is on the other side. It may be hard to imagine mustering up the courage to take the next step into the unknown. I am a living testament to the fact that it is worth it. You will learn so much about yourself and life through the journey. You will fail and you will question your decisions at times. That’s normal. Honestly, when you have faith in yourself, you know that somehow you will find a way to get there.

For once in my life, I feel like I am in my prime even though there are more unknowns in my life than there ever were before! I’m telling you, it all relates back to courage and trusting in myself.

This isn’t to say that all new, scary journeys in our life will end up just the way we envisioned, but I have come to realize that until we overcome fear, we will always be limiting ourselves. Why would we ever want to limit our potential to ultimate happiness in life just by playing it safe and settling?

All it takes is 20 seconds. 20 seconds of courage that could end up being one of the best decisions of your life.

So, why not?