Speaker 1: 0:06

I don't know about you, but I'm super happy it's Wednesday, you know why? Because we're in the middle of the week and we're getting over the hump. And today's not just any Wednesday, my friend. It's Win it All Wednesday. That's what we call it here on the Sweet Spot. Win it All Wednesday. Why shouldn't you be a winner? You are a winner, you've made it, you're in life and I don't care where you are right now in life. You're in Wednesday and you're in win it all Wednesday and you're going to put one foot in front of the other and you're going to keep moving forward, because that's what you do.

Speaker 1: 0:42

We have been in a Run the Risk, reap the Reward series this week and it's been amazing. We've talked about risk getting a bad rap, but that is another side to risk. It's not just about loss and failure and danger. In my work as a board-certified sports psychiatrist, I've seen and spoken to many elite and high-level performers and one of the things they've taught me is that risk has another side. It's where faith lives, it's where courage grows. It's where your next level is waning. It's always just beyond your comfort zone that you will get the rewards. That's why you've got to pay attention to whether or not you're taking any risks in this life and when you have quit. If you're quitting, this is your message Get up and take another risk. It's why this week, on the Sweet Spot, we're flipping the script on risk and today we're talking about one of its most powerful forms calculated courage, calculated courage, calculated courage, calculated courage. You see, we tend to picture courage as loud, rushing into battle, making the big wild leap, banging on our chest. That's part of it. But you know what? Most real courage is quiet, it's intentional, it's practiced. I remember I think it was in medical school or college I didn't do well on an exam and I was really down on myself. I was really beating myself up. And you know what happened my mom, my mom, gave me this poem. I don't know how she knew, but she handed me this poem. It was so short, but it really spoke to exactly what I'm talking about to you today.

Speaker 1: 2:54

The poem said Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying I will try again tomorrow. Wow, real courage. Not roaring like a lion today, just quiet, intentional, saying I will try again tomorrow, I will take another risk tomorrow, and that's something that you have to condition yourself to be is that kind of person. Oh, by the way, thanks mom for the poem. It really helped.

Speaker 1: 3:33

So yeah, great athletes, they don't wait until the end of a game to be brave. They've been practicing for bravery all along. They train for pressure. They train and prepare for those moments. It's not random. Their courage isn't random, it's rehearsed. So I read that poem over and over again. I rehearsed it because it gave me strength to face additional problems or oppositions I would face in life and I'll never forget the poem.

Speaker 1: 4:13

Courage doesn't always roar.

Speaker 1: 4:15

It's a quiet voice, it's the voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow. That's calculated courage. And when you practice these kinds of mantras and you practice to perform under pressure, you are absolutely activating neuroscience. I know you're saying, dr Sweet, oh, my goodness, not another nugget for neuroscience. Goodness, not another nugget for neuroscience. But I've got to tell you these athletes and performers, they are amazing because their brains are trained to override certain systems in the brain that sometimes you and I don't override.

Speaker 1: 5:02

So you put the ball in my hands in the fourth quarter in the stadium, or in the stadium or the arena, and the crowd is screaming. I'm probably going to panic. You know why? Because I have a system in my body called the HPA axis, the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. Everybody has one, you have one, I got one and that's where our cortisol gets released. It's responsible for the stress response.

Speaker 1: 5:31

Flooding ourselves with cortisol and cortisol is not bad. It's a hormone that helps us react quickly and stay sharp under threat. But here's the problem Sometimes that cortisol is running and it has no business being out there. We're just stressed out, we just get afraid. We see a risk and we get afraid. Too much cortisol for too long. It clouds our thinking, it tightens the body up, it drains the mental energy and even when an athlete is not regulated, he or she could actually have problems because the cortisol is overtaking them and they're not able to focus and end the game.

Speaker 1: 6:03

That's why preparation matters. That's why you've got to rehearse your poem. That's why you have to rehearse under pressure. That's why you have to rehearse the tough scenarios. You have to mentally, emotionally and physically think of the what-if scenarios so that you become less reactive to it. You can stay alert, but you don't get panicked anymore. You can stay present, so you don't have to be paralyzed by things anymore.

Speaker 1: 6:29

Calculated courage is how the nervous system overrides the HPA axis and it teaches your body to rise and not sink under the pressure. So look, I know that not everybody is into the HPA axis. That's why I always include a little bit of ancient wisdom. Okay, I'd love to give you that other perspective, because information can come from several different angles. In the ancient wisdom, there was this saying Suppose one of you wants to build a tower, won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough to complete it? That's what Jesus said in Luke, and it was so wise, right? Because what that's saying is that you have to have strategic faith, not just wisdom, but strategic faith.

Speaker 1: 7:33

You have to take a calculated, courageous risk, think it out, understand what could happen, know what you're up against, but feel the fear and do it anyway. Step out there, because you know who's standing beside you, you know about the power that you have in you and you know you what you can do. If you've given yourself the opportunity in past times and even current times, if you've given yourself the opportunity, you will definitely overcome. You always overcome when you give yourself the opportunity, and it may not be now. It may not be that you've overcome today, but with time, if you look back just like those people crossing the desert who were complaining about how hard it is and they looked down and they said, oh my goodness, I actually don't have sores on my feet. How did that happen? Because I was in the middle of becoming stronger, in the middle of my trial, and I didn't even realize it. As I took the risk to cross the desert, this hard thing that I have to do, I became stronger. That's not just wisdom, that's faith in action, that's taking the calculated risk, and that's different from just sitting down and doing nothing and thinking of everything that can go wrong.

Speaker 1: 9:04

Maybe you've been circling a big decision today. Maybe it's time for a career pivot, maybe it's a major move. Maybe it's a conversation you've been avoiding. Maybe it's about taking care of yourself. I don't know. But what I do know is that courage doesn't always feel brave in the moment. Sometimes it feels like you just have to keep preparing. Sometimes it feels like quiet readiness. However, it shows up for you. I want you to pick the bold decision that you've been circling. Map out your first three moves.

Speaker 1: 9:48

Don't just sit there in fear. Don't just sit there in analysis, paralysis. Don't just sit there looking for reasons why it's not going to work. Plan your way into the fire. Be okay with falling down seven and getting up eight. Don't look back at how many times you failed or it didn't work out. That's not what this is about. Courage isn't always loud, but it always moves. It always takes action. Because around here, we don't freeze on depression. We train ourselves through it. Around here, we believe that when you run the risk, you reap the reward. Run the risk, run the risk, run the risk, and tomorrow we're talking about one of the most powerful and personal risks you will ever take. Think of trust and I'll see you tomorrow for Trust Yourself Thursday. Thank you for listening. This is Dr Derek Sweet. I really appreciate your time and your attention. We're locked and loaded. See you tomorrow, take care. Oh, by the way, if you want to connect with me, please subscribe to the YouTube channel. Take care, thank you.