Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Just literally 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery... And I promise you something great will come of it!! - Unknown.
"Wow! You're so lucky! Soon you will be working on an exotic island with lots of hunky Baywatch boys around, sipping sun downers in a hammock whilst the sun caresses the ocean with the last of its warmth of the day." Or some other fairly closely related daydream I hear from people who find out about my pending adventure.
Why yes, I am lucky because the passion that I have for what I will be doing runs through my entire being. Am I lucky that my adventure is filled with white beaches, crystal clear oceans, bronzed bodies and lots of time in the water? Not so much. See, it had nothing to do with luck. It is the culmination of a number of small steps, each in itself being born in 20 seconds of insane courage. Embarrassing braveness if you will.
I studied for four years to get an honours degree in Psychology which qualified me to work as a call centre agent (an experience that taught me to have a large amount of patience when I get a call from an unknown number). From there I got into corporate and slowly realised that was not where I was meant to be.
One sunny, late winters day I went to the race track with the dive centre where I had done most of my training and made a spur-of-the-moment decision to re-do my Dive Master course to brush up on my skills and knowledge. 20 Seconds of courage. On that course (like the first time around) I met some friends who have touched my life deeply. Little did I know that this choice was going to change my life completely. But then again seeing as I was in the 'changing my life' space it was very appropriate.
During that course I had gotten to know, love and lost a very dear friend. Like a kid I excitedly waited for the train to pass so that I can get the flattened coins that I had placed on the tracks. I dived with sharks and wrestled with some demons.
It took 20 seconds of insane courage to enrol onto my scuba dive instructors course... And a month of insanely hard work, stress and craziness to get through to the other end as a qualified instructor.
There were 20 seconds of insane courage involved when I finally admitted that I do not belong in a corporate environment and handed my resignation to my boss.
And then there was very little of anything that happened. For a couple of months I just coasted, wondering why the universe wasn't showing me my next step. In reality I was so frozen with fear that I was unwilling to take the next step. I was always waiting for something to get done first. Eventually I put my car up for sale. It took 20 seconds (O.K., perhaps one minute) to type up and send out a message, telling everyone to spread the word. Within a week my car was sold. The universe was waiting for me to take the next step. Since then I have been thrown into a whirlwind of activity, booking flights, getting vaccines, buying luggage and finishing off a project on which I'm consulting (O.K I haven't completely given up corporate. Soon, though. Soon).
I guess my point is this: I didn't get here, to the eve of my big adventure, by sitting on the couch or complaining about my life over a glass of wine (although there was a lot of that going on too!). Every step in my adventure thus far is rooted in 20 seconds of insane, heart thumping, breath racing, what-the-heck-am-I-doing?, courage.
When last did you do something that made your heart race? Go on... try it... who knows what might happen?
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