Think Your Way to Courage
Episode #5 of the course 10 Strategies to Overcome Your Everyday Fears by Frank McKinley
Welcome to Lesson 5!
Last time we learned how to improve our self-talk. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to see yourself being more courageous!
Studies show that 65% of us are visual thinkers. And with all the media choices we have—TV, video, and movies—it may be even higher than that.
Make Your Own Mental Movie
You don’t have to be Steven Spielberg to make a great movie. You can become more courageous by seeing yourself that way—in your own mental movie.
You’ll be the star and the director. You get to choose what you imagine. Add your own soundtrack, sights, feelings, and even tastes and smells! If what you see inspires you to achieve your goal, it will work.
To set the scene, ask yourself these questions:
If I was courageous, how would that look? How would it affect my posture? What expression would be on my face? What words would I use and how would they sound when I say them?
If you’re not sure, find someone you know who is courageous and observe them. What is their body language? How do they speak? What risks do they take, and how do they feel about them?
You can also model one of your favorite TV or movie characters who shows courage.
Now that you have that picture, take one of your goals and imagine what it will look like when you achieve it. What do you see? What are you ready to do next? How do you feel with that accomplishment behind you?
Here’s why all these matters: unless you can see yourself reaching and achieving your goal, even the smallest setback can knock you off course.
Your mental movie is a visual pep talk. It’s a picture of future possibilities. Increase your courage by seeing yourself dealing with problems as they arise. That will help you face them when they do.
Set aside time to view your mental movie every day and you’ll move toward making it real, every day.
Your Mind Doesn’t Know the Difference Between Manufactured Memories and Authentic Ones
My grandmother had such a vivid dream, she called my aunt to ask about it.
My aunt replied, “Mother, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Grandmother insisted. To her, the memory was real. She couldn’t have imagined it!
That’s what your brain can do for you. It doesn’t matter if the memory you create is real or manufactured. The more vivid and sensory it is, the more real it feels.
Isn’t that better than using your imagination to show you reasons why you’ll fail?
When your thoughts turn negative, change the channel and watch your courageous mental movie. You’ll be amazed how it changes your mood!
It’s your mind. Use it to build your courage. Then, when the critics around you share their doubts, you can use your mental movie to spur you on. Once you start taking action on what you see, soon you’ll hear cheers from people around you.
Make Your Mental Movie Today
It doesn’t have to be two hours long. It just has to inspire you. You’re the director. Go all out! Just make it short enough to inspire you quickly.
You might even make multiple movies for different situations you face. The more, the merrier!
The first step in success is believing you can. Seeing is believing, isn’t it?
In our next lesson, we’ll look at how you can start getting experience being courageous right now. See you there!
Recommended book
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Gay Hendricks
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