4100weeks

Get off the ledge

Imagine standing on a high bridge as you're told it's your turn to experience your first bungee jump.  Suddenly the guide starts counting down, three , two, one...  What emotion would you feel - excitement or fear? 

If you look up the words bravery and courage they are sometime used to mean the same thing but I believe they are VERY different.  My father was a brave man.  He served in WWII and I never saw him scared.  Right before his aorta replacement surgery I sat with him in the pre-op area and he was cool as a cucumber.  The nurses were amazed that his heart rate was normal and that he did not want anything to "take the edge-off".  There was no edge.  I'm not sure if he was like that his whole life or if he saw too much in the war and lost his ability to fear.

In my mind courage is much different.  One cannot have courage without fear.  The brave person will stand on the bridge without fear and jump.  The courageous person will stand on the bridge, maybe need a change of clothes due to overwhelming fear and jump anyway.  I believe that courage is much harder and more common than bravery.

Here is your challenge for today: Be courageous in one small act.

What have you put off because you fear saying or doing it?  I'm talking SMALL here.  Don't ask someone to marry you or challenge the company bully (or boss) to a fight.  Simply call someone that you haven't talked to in a while and let them know you were thinking about them.  You know who I mean since you probably had a name pop into your head while reading this.  Go ahead and jump - three, two, one...

Where's Waldo??

When you think about the greatest personal trainers of our day the names of Jillian or Bob from "The Biggest Loser" may come to mind.  But when it comes to great mental trainers - one name stands alone in a crowded sea of people (literally).  That name of course is Waldo. 

Jillian and Bob help clients become more fit by having a plan of action and so does Waldo.  Waldo is a pretty strange looking character.  Red and white hat with matching shirt.  Is there any possible way that you would miss this character walking by us on the street?  But when he's thrown into a crowd he seems to disappear from view - at least to the untrained eye.

Here's Waldo's secret that he doesn't want you to know (for obvious financial reasons).  Don't look at the crowd.  Focus on red stripes.  Over time the other colors will fade and you will only see red.  With more practice you will only see red stripes and before you know it you will not be asking Where's Waldo.

Here's your simple mental challenge for the day: 

Part 1: Look for squares.  Everywhere you look you will see squares - ceiling tiles, computer keys, post it notes and more.  After a while you will be tired of seeing squares and will be ready for part two of the challenge. 

Part 2: Pick your favorite color and only see that color.  You will amaze yourself with the mental power you have over your focus.  Good luck and come back for your next challenge soon!