Click on image above to enlarge it or view larger pdf  of page:OGT: One Gutsy Thing

About 8 or 10 years ago, I came up with the idea of getting brave and  just doing  “One Gutsy Thing”…when I was nervous or worried about doing something new or unfamiliar.

I even made these little cards for myself with that “slogan” on them…to try to remind myself to just have courage and get started and that it would probably work out fine.

The cards were good reminders for me…I put them on the refrigerator, the bathroom mirror, in  my car…anywhere I would be reminded to just give “scary things” a try…things such as keeping going when I get confused or overwhelmed, speaking up in larger meetings, showing that I’m vulnerable, setting limits about how much I’m willing to do…those ordinary kinds of concerns.

Well, it just occurred to me, in this very moment,  that I have made A LOT of progress in some of those areas: right this very minute, I’m working on a BLOG (!!)…I barely even knew what a blog was until a week ago (I thought blogs were for “twenty somethings” to tell of their escapades around the world…. : )  ) and making one?…. that is something that I had absolutely NO CLUE  how to do until a week ago… and have had no help with from others…woooooo…now THAT is a big change! Talk about ONE GUTSY THING!

And so…just giving things a try…OGT: One Gutsy Thing

A short youtube “video” of the OGT cards….

And another very short youtube video of different cards….when things seem difficult…”Just Hang In There…”

Rick Hanson, who is mentioned in the Plant Flowers, Pull Weeds posts below, has a really helpful weekly newsletter, “Just One Thing”,  where he writes about this carrots and sticks subject:

• that we overinflate the benefits in things we perceive that we want (carrots)…

• and we also exaggerate the dangers in things that we are worried about or avoiding. (sticks)

Take a look at his newsletter to get some good ideas and suggestions for taking that first step:  JOT: Just One Thing newsletter

This idea of just doing little, manageable, brave actions ties in with the Helen Keller quote: “I cannot do everything, but still I CAN do something” quote in the I Am Only One page