After a speaking gig in Houston, we drove down to Galveston to spend a little time near the Gulf. As my daughter Lucy waded in the water, immersed in a game she likes to call “tricking the waves,” Kim commented on how much deeper she was willing to go compared to a few months earlier when we were in Florida.

Now, Lucy didn’t go diving headfirst into the surf or anything, but she didn’t need to. She was being, as I like to say, “just brave enough.”

I spent a lot of my childhood being afraid.

I was afraid of new experiences. Of meeting new people. Of the unknown. Of drowning. Of looking stupid. Of the future. Of being a colossal failure in life. I was afraid the thunder, the lightning, and the firetrucks.

Over the years, my faith has helped me deal with much of that fear, but it’s still a part of my life. It is for all of us.

There have been many moments in my life when I have been afraid and, like Susan Jeffers advises, “felt the fear and did it anyway.” Those brief moments of bravery have increased my resistance to fear. Like Lucy, after I went a little deeper, my new position didn’t seem all that deep anymore.

I’ve always been drawn to quotes about fear, courage, and bravery. The following quote comes from the movie “We Bought a Zoo,” and I had to jot it down as soon as I heard it:

“You know, sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Just literally 20 seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” –Matt Damon in We Bought a Zoo

I don’t know about you, but to me, there is great comfort in remembering that I don’t have to be brave and courageous every minute of my life.

Twenty seconds here and there will do.