Hey, you…got a second?  Yeah, YOU!  Got a second or two?  I have something to tell you that could change your life.  Now are you interested?  Have you ever been in a moment when you had to control your breathing because if you didn’t, you would hyper ventilate?  Maybe a moment when you are not sure if your doing something really matters?  I mean, you can ignore that opportunity (like maybe you have many times) and pretend it didn’t exist.  But what if I told you that the biggest moments in your life and those moments in the lives of others can be shared in 20 seconds?  Every one is busy, but is 20 seconds too much time to altering the course your life is on?  I don’t think so.  Can you take 20 seconds out of your day to be courageous?  Maybe it is to make a call to an old friend who you have not spoken to in a while.  Maybe it is to invite someone to lunch.  Maybe it is telling someone how you feel, even if you believe that you are not good at it.  It’s 20 seconds.  If I told you that a chance to reach out to someone else can create a feeling that lasts all day, would you do it?  Our comfort zones are self-imposed, but can always change.  They can expand, based on the experiences we have when we go outside of those zones.  Mine is pretty HUGE.  It wasn’t always that way.  There were times that I was physically ill, wanted to run and hide, and was absolutely terrified about what I was about to do, and yet my hesitation and cautiousness was something I created and needed to be brave.  And then I did it.  Maybe the outcome wasn’t what I wished, but I at least had tried.  I had not given up.  What if you took 20 seconds to ask yourself that one question — “WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU WISH YOU COULD CHANGE ABOUT YOUR LIFE?” — and then, courageously, answered it.  It can be done, you know.    It doesn’t have to come with instructions or designed with a perfect plan; it can be spontaneous and can develop from just a thought that came to you.  Yesterday, I did something that has me almost trembling, cautiously optimistic, somewhat hopeful, and created a loss of appetite.  I took 20 seconds and am unsure of how it will be received.  I have second-guessed that decision ever since I made it.  But you never know if the outcome of a situation is bad or good until you actually make the decision.  Every day has 20 seconds in it where you can be courageous — but courageous doesn’t have to be heroic.  Find 20 seconds today when you go outside what feels comfortable to you.  Be brave.

Michelle Homme 2013 ©