“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” ~ Benjamin Mee (We Bought A Zoo) One of the earliest things I wrote in a blog form explained a point in my life that changed everything for me. About 5 years ago my friend Joe passed away way too suddenly and way too young at the age of 22. It's something that at some point I will go into greater detail on but I explained that his life was lived to the fullest every single day no matter what and that he inspired so many more people than anyone his age ever could have dreamed. Some of his life was spent by people calling him insane. “You’ll never accomplish that”, “You’ll never be able to handle that”, “Why would you ever do that.” That list could go on for days. And, for the most part, even though he was my friend, I kind of agreed. You see for me being bold and brave and courageous and adventurous and….*Insert more words like that*….is just not in my nature. Most of my life I spent riding out life and being in a place of comfort and ease. Whether or not that stemmed from my past is neither here nor there which is also a story for another day. I spent my life working and getting by no matter if I hated it or not because that is my nature. I’ve never been the type of person to take risks. I analyze everything THEN act. SO, what’s different? To a certain extent everyone that does something brave that you remember is probably a little insane. Really think about people that you consider brave and then consider why you think that way. I guarantee that what they did is probably a little insane. Those two things go hand in hand. Now…Think about something brave that you did and what lead to that moment. If you’re anything like me, you probably WENT a little insane before you did something about it. After Joe passed a lot changed in my life. But 3 things were very notable to me. I left the job I had been working at for nearly 12 years, my wife and I moved from an apartment to a house for the first time in our married life, and I made a dramatic change in how I handled my health. These things probably come off as a bit menial to most but to me all 3 of these things were unforgettable defining moments and all came nearly 5 years ago after a moment of insanity.
The only way I can properly describe getting a new job and leaving basically the only job I've ever known is that feeling you get when you leave your family for the first time and are on your own. It wasn’t just a job for me. It was family. People that poured all their love and knowledge into me everyday PREPARING me for my moment of bravery. Our house. I was T E R R I F I E D of getting a house. I didn’t want the responsibility. I didn’t want all the things most people want in a place to live. I was afraid. The eating healthy. Every man in my family has passed away due to heart complications. I didn’t care. I was stubborn. Every single one of these things happened with a moment of insanity which led to a moment of bravery. The job. I took a risk on myself. The house. I got over a fear. The health. I got over my stubborn ways to do what is best for my family. What’s the point? The same point I made when I wrote that post about Joe 5 years ago. Your life is a series of decisions that you make based on experiences that you have. So why waste a moment thinking about if people think you’re insane? GO INSANE SOMETIMES. Sometimes that’s all it takes to have a moment of bravery that leads to a lifetime of happiness.