Push Yourself to the Limit: The 20 Second Rule

In Greek mythology, all heroes exemplify a set of virtues. Those virtues include: love, strength, consistency, confidence, equanimity, creativity, courage, diligence, focus, they’re imperfect, authentic, optimistic, grounded, and enthusiastic. Although all of these are essential in a hero. Which do you think is the most important? Which one do you think will help push yourself to the limit?

Courage: The Mightiest of Greek Virtues

Of these 14 interwoven traits, courage is attached at the hip to each and every one. You can’t have confidence without courage, you can’t have strength without courage, you can’t be optimistic or loving without courage. If you want to push yourself to the limit, it starts with courage. Courage is what enables you to face your fears, take danger head on, and to improvise, adapt, and overcome unwelcome or unpleasant situations. Your doubts and uncertainties can hinder your ability to push yourself to the limit, but if you take a look at the greatest athletes, artists, musicians, and businesses, they persist and persevere.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

– Marianne Williamson

So how do we cultivate courage? How do we push through the pain in a marathon, triathlon, or rowing event? How do we move our body in synchronicity with the present moment? What is one way to push yourself to the limit?

It only takes 20 seconds

All you need is the next 20 seconds. The 20-second rule can be used in each facet of life.

A short story author and playwright named Kyle Fahey wrote a love story about a boy at his first school dance. Love, like courage, is seen entwined in our everyday lives.

Growing up, this boy was always anxious, nervous, and under-confident, but when he went to his first high school dance, he saw the most beautiful girl in the world. He wanted to go say hi but he was thinking about her saying no, he thought about the embarrassment,
he thought about the negative consequences of what might happen.

Then, out of nowhere, a man appears. He could feel the boy’s apprehensiveness and told him, “All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and you can do anything. Go ask her to dance and you’ll see what you can do with just 20 seconds of unexplained bravery.” He simplified it down to just 20 seconds and went for it.

20 seconds: He starts to walk over. 19, 18, 17, 16, 15: He asks her to dance. 14, 13: She says yes! 12 11: They start to dance. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4: The song ends. 3: They lock eyes. 2, 1.

The rest is history. Love takes courage. Confidence takes courage. Life takes courage.

Push yourself to the limit: Where do you begin?

Tell yourself you’ll give your best effort for the next 20 seconds and see what you can do. If you simplify to the next 20 seconds, the future becomes so minimal, that it’s almost nonexistent. You can do anything with just 20 seconds of courage.

The next 20 seconds of the race can be fantastic, the next 20 seconds of homework can be amazing, the next 20 seconds of listening to your coach can be inspiring, the next 20 seconds can be used to push yourself to the limit. If you let it, if you focus and immerse yourself, the next 20 seconds can be the best of your life.

Are you having trouble with your present-moment focus, confidence, or courage? We’re here to help. Leave a comment below or contact one of us to get started!