Pick Something You’re Scared Of And Do It Anyway

So far a lot of what I’ve shared in this “30 Days of Building Courage to Increase Your Self Confidence” series has been theory and mindset stuff. Don’t get me wrong, that’s important and I will continue to share more throughout the month. But there’s also something to be said for simple, actionable tips or confidence hacks. That’s what today’s blog post is all about.

It’s simple and something you can, and should do today. While it’s simple, it’s not always the easiest thing to do. The idea is to pick something you’re scared of (or worried about, or putting off because you’re not sure you can do it) and do it anyway.

I challenge you to start doing this today and then continue it as often as possible. Going forward, you should be doing something that scares you several times per week.
Obviously what you pick to do will be very individual and different from person to person. That being said, it helps to look at some ideas to get started. This will give you a feel for the type of stuff I’m talking about and the scope of it.

Maybe you thought it had to be a big scary thing that I’m asking you to do and by looking through the examples below you realize that it can be something much smaller that you can actually see yourself doing. Maybe you like the idea of doing something you’re scared of, but can’t think of a single thing you could do today.

The list of ideas may spark a thought for something unique to you that you can do.

• Fast for a day or until dinner.
• Skip coffee and other caffeinated drinks for the day.
• Don’t let yourself hit the snooze button. Get up as soon as your alarm goes off.
• Ask a friend to go for a walk with you once a week.
• Go introduce yourself to the new neighbors (and in the caregivers case, maybe explain what your loved one faces daily).
• Ask your boss for a raise.
• Let your child go on a sleep-over – or at least get out of the house!
• Go out to dinner by yourself
• Book a surprise weekend trip for yourself and your partner.
• Sign up for that class you’ve always wanted to take – even if it’s online.
• Try a new cooking technique or a new food for yourself, or for your special needs child.
• Fix that toilet yourself with the help of YouTube. I’ve been there and done this myself, but with out dishwasher.
• Share a picture of yourself and your weight loss or fitness plans on social media.
• Invite a friend over for coffee even though your house is a mess.
• Ask that cute guy/ girl out.

I hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration to make your own list. I know some of these won’t be what you think you can do. This is a CHALLENGE for a reason. Find something in  your life that does fit – that is part of what you wish you could do.

Now, go make it a habit to regularly do things that scare you a little. When you make yourself do them, and work through that fear or resistance, you’ll come out stronger and more confident on the other side. Doing what you’re scared of is a great courage building habit.

Care to share what you challenged yourself to do afraid? I’d love to hear, so drop me a comment below.