10 seconds of courage is such a great motto and a way to conduct your life. It has become a fellow anthem during my time at college and is something that I wanted to share. To be honest, it is really just as simple as what is stated. It takes 10 seconds of courage to get over that hump and say hi to someone. A hi is all it has to be but then that can lead to a long conversation where a connection and friend is made. This was a shift in mindset for me when I came to college. It started as an affirmation and soon became a goal that I set each year before I start a new year. This idea of pushing myself out of my comfort zone slightly has led to many amazing new relationships and friendships.
One great example of how 10 seconds of courage became super useful was when I applied it to a girl I knew in the dining hall. I had interviewed her for a paper I was writing the prior semester and so I wanted to reach out and just thank her again for that favor and how her answer was so authentic. I stopped her and said, “Hey I just wanted to reach out because…” and then she stopped me and said “Yeah, wait, you’re the guy who interviewed me last semester about sunsets or sunrises.” From there we chatted for a bit and then I went on with my day.
Many people believe they don’t have the ability to do this or that it is extremely hard and my answer to that is yes, it is really hard. For me, I had wanted to go up to her many times in the dining hall prior to that encounter but just couldn’t muster up the courage to do it. But my rebuttal is that everytime you do it, it becomes easier and easier and it starts to become a habit that you do without thinking. Up in Vermont, I just had a friend say to me a similar idea about the 10 seconds of courage. Instead of this motto, it was the idea that if you thought about saying something to someone or reaching out and it stays on your mind longer than a passing thought, just go do it because you will regret NOT doing it.
Another positive to the 10 seconds of courage rule is that the next time you see them, it is so much easier because the acknowledgement has been established. The next time I bumped into dining-hall girl, I was skating down from the library steps and just yelled out a hello. From there I stopped and we ended up having a great 20-minute conversation just talking about interests and future plans. Due to my 10 seconds of courage, I had two positive interactions that made my day better, felt genuine and allowed me to get to know this person better!
Implement the 10 seconds of courage rule into your life and it will become a game changer. Everyone, no matter who you are, can do 10 seconds… It's literally only 10 seconds
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