It’s easier to face fear with someone else. It’s easier to accomplish a dare with a friend who will push you, to hold you accountable to go for it.
Every time I’m invited to speak to an audience about my journey, I dare audience members to come up with one “dare," one new thing they want to try, and then “share their dare” with someone sitting next to them. Usually, something magical happens in the room—and when I recently spoke at St. Joan of Arc parish in Marlton, New Jersey, something did. These two friends had been promising each other to start walking every day, but one, then the other was diagnosed with cancer. They both faced that fear that all survivors know and now, they are ready to help each other move forward.
At the same event, I met a group of women who call themselves “The Jersey Tomatoes." They are all widows but refused to believe life and daring and adventure was over. Together, they’ve been traveling to places around the world, places they never would have gone to alone.
Really, it comes down to this: Whoever you dare with, you bond with. Think about it. When you share an exciting new experience or adventure, you share a memory. This is why I love doing first-time experiences with my family. A paint your dog class, make pizza from scratch or an escape room…it doesn’t matter.
There’s no doubt, some risks we have to take on our own. I mean, no one volunteered to eat a scorpion with me, and really, I can’t blame them.
I’m about to start pickleball classes on my own, but all of my experiences tell me, I’ll make new friends in the process.
Really want to accomplish something? Dare yourself? Tell everyone you know. Make an announcement. Unless you are eating a scorpion, someone will probably say, "I want to do that too." Share your dare.
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