Megan Imbert: [00:00:00] Hello, my courageous friends. On this week's episode of The Frequency of Courage, I wanted to talk about the courage to go first, the courage it takes to bet on yourself, and for a moment if you can if you're not driving, close your eyes and think about standing at the edge of the ocean. Those that know me, know how much I love the ocean.
It feels like home to me. The air is salty, the waves are crashing, and the sand is cool and soft beneath your feet, you are watching the tide roll in each wave rising with power, then breaking and retreating. I'm struck by this thought. Every wave has a beginning. That first ripple, small unseen becomes the momentum that moves the [00:01:00] shoreline. The ocean does not wait for permission.
It doesn't apologize for its strength. It just begins.
And that's courage. The willingness to go first. Take the step no one else has taken yet. Be the beginning of something new, even when you don't know how it will end. I've had to stand in that place of being the first many times. Or being the one of the group that decided to do the challenging thing. A few examples that come to mind.
When I decided in 2019 to move halfway across the country for a new job in Austin by myself, not knowing many people, no safety net, no one waiting for me. It was just me and this quiet whisper. Bet on [00:02:00] yourself.
If I am not gonna bet on myself, no one else will. And I remember the journey of moving down to Austin, mid thirties, single, unsure of what I was getting into, and I remember buying that one-way ticket. My heart racing nervous and excited. A lot of what ifs. What if this was a mistake? What if I'm not good at this role? you can always go back. Everything is figureoutable
when you go first and you're on your own, there's never certainty. And when it comes to faith, if you have that intrinsic feeling that whatever happens in the journey, I'm gonna learn from it. It's gonna be worth the risk. I'm gonna figure it out. No matter what, I'm going [00:03:00] to grow. That's that growth mindset versus fixed mindset.
Permission to take a risk while might be scary or things you might not know. A learning curve that move that bet on yourself could end up changing the trajectory of your entire life. And then there were some tough moments where about 10 years ago, my aunt passed away in a car crash in Tyson's Corner of Virginia. And she had at the time a 2-year-old son. And I remember being the one while. Everyone is in shock. I was the one that volunteered and went to the vehicle, literally pulling her shoes and her purse out of the car and dropping it off at her house and just thinking, wow, so quickly everything can change.
If you are moving too fast in your life, [00:04:00] if you're speeding through the yellow light or just so much in your head versus just slowing down, I would encourage you to think about that and just slowing down because , life is so precious. It can change in an instant, but in that moment, I felt. I got this.
I know that I'm gonna be able to handle this. I'm gonna be able to help my family in this moment, do the really tough thing and hopefully protect others from seeing what I saw. And then , in subsequent days, I remember going over to my uncle's house and getting my cousin ready for the funeral of his mom and just being there and just knowing that whether or not someone's not okay.
In that instance, asking what you can do and just overwhelmed, just showing up. Being the first, being the [00:05:00] person that just shows up is willing to be there, is willing to help. It really makes a difference. And then there are moments when going first or being part of a small group up against power and could cost more.
There's fear. I've talked about it before. If we stay heart-centered, love centered, we can combat fear. Courage is taking that step in spite of fear when it's not just about your own path, it's about your voice. And so far, one of the biggest moments in my life was when I went on record against the injustices within
the Washington NFL franchise. When I went on record, there were so many that stayed silent due to their fear and desire for safety. But for me, [00:06:00] silence has a weight of its own. I knew that it would eat at me if I was not going to speak up about what I knew in order to help the collective.
And during that process, I also learned about where I needed to heal for myself, that I was willing to come forward for a group of people, but maybe not for myself, and dive into what was going on there in terms of my self love, my self worth, my worthiness, and reconnecting with my my voice.
And what I realized in this whole journey is that just like the ocean, there's a ripple effect. People can borrow each other's courage. When one person stands, when one person speaks up, when one person has an act of kindness, when one person is thoughtful, others realize that they have permission to do that too.
As a leader in corporate America, I [00:07:00] really hone in on being vulnerable, being honest, being transparent, sharing personal details, sharing how I'm feeling, because I know that in the spirit of having a culture that is transparent, the leader goes first. And here's the thing, not all acts of going first are headline worthy. Sometimes it looks like being the first to raise your hand in a meeting when the air feels heavy, or it looks like being the first in a fight to say, you know what? I'm sorry. Even when your pride is screaming not to, sometimes it looks like being the first one in your family that chooses a different life, that chooses to break the cycles.
That chooses to say, this ends with me, and sometimes it's being the first to say, I love you, without knowing if those words will be reciprocated. For me, it's also been as simple as reaching out, sending a message, making a phone call saying, I see you. You're not [00:08:00] alone.
Even if I know, I might not get a response. I know that that person is on the receiving end and when they, if they need to reach out, I'm someone that they can, I'm a safe person. I can't tell you how many times some of those small moments of going first have made a difference that I didn't know someone even needed.
And I know that because people have made a difference in my life and thinking of me, considering me reaching out to me.
The ocean keeps teaching me this. It doesn't matter how small the beginning is. The tiniest ripple can become a wave. Our courage works the same way. One small act of going first can create that ripple that moves through people, through communities, through generations. Most people aren't waiting for the perfect moment.
They're really just waiting for someone else to go first to show them what's possible. And if not you, then [00:09:00] who? So I wanna ask you today, where in your life are you standing at that shoreline waiting for someone else to step in First? What truth, what dream, what healing are you holding back? Because you want to know if it's safe.
What if your act of going first is the very thing that makes it safe for others? This week I invite you to choose one place to go first. Ask the question, speak the truth, take the leap. Say the words, bet on yourself because you're ripple, your wave just might change everything. The ocean does not wait for permission and neither should you. Courage isn't about being fearless. It's about being willing, and sometimes the bravest, most beautiful thing you can do is simply go first. Have a beautiful week. [00:10:00]