“If you want something you’ve never had you have to be willing to do something you’ve never done.”
– Steve Maraboli
The Currency of Courage: Investing in the Unknown
Have you ever felt that familiar pull toward something new, something that promises growth, but then a tiny voice whispers about the comfort of the familiar? It’s a tension as old as learning itself, and it’s the very heart of the profound wisdom offered by behavioral scientist and motivational speaker, Steve Maraboli. His words aren’t just a catchy phrase; they’re a direct challenge to the status quo, an invitation to step beyond the known and into the realm of possibility. The underlying theme, I think, is a call to embrace vulnerability, to put yourself out there, and to be willing to stumble, even fail, on the path to something extraordinary.
This idea becomes particularly poignant when we consider our students, especially those who have faced difficulties in the past. I once had a very good mentor, Dr. Rowley, who explained it to me with a powerful analogy. He said, “I have no problems taking chances because I have a lot of chips. I know that if I throw some out there, if I lose them, that’s okay. I’ve got more, and I know how to get more.” However, he continued, “Many of our students are running around with one poker chip.” Think about that for a moment. They are not about to put that single, precious chip on the line if they’re not absolutely sure they’re going to get it back, or if they don’t know how to earn more. They are going to be extremely protective of what they’ve got, making it incredibly hard for them to be willing to do something they’ve never done, for fear of losing that one chip.
Modeling the Leap: For Educators and Students Alike
This is precisely why, as educators, we have a critical role to play: we need to model how it’s okay to fail, how it’s okay to step outside of your comfort zone, to try something new. It’s okay that if you risk something, the reward can be quite good. It’s about taking those ‘safe’ but stagnant practices—the ones that keep us doing what we’ve always done—and challenging them with a fresh perspective. We are in the business of Resolving Everyday challenges, and that often means daring to do things differently.
This goes for us as teachers too. Don’t be afraid to try something new in your teaching. I mean, if you do what you’ve always done, you’re going to get what you’ve always got. And we don’t need that. The status quo is not the way to go. As you approach your classroom, your lessons, and even your thoughts about what’s possible, you should be reaching deeper and trying new things to see what effect they can have. Amazing things could happen; you don’t know until you try. The hardest part of any innovation—especially in the high-stakes environment of K-12 education—is overcoming the fear of the unknown, of perhaps even… failure. But remember, a stumble is not a fall if you learn from it.
Cultivating a Culture of Courage
On the flip side of that, to your students, you need to make sure that you are protecting them and that you’re giving them the chance to take those chances. Create an environment where experimentation is celebrated, and mistakes are viewed as invaluable data points on the path to mastery. Celebrate the small successes, the hesitant steps, the moments they put that one chip on the table. This helps them see, like, “Hey, I did take a chance, and it ended up being a good thing!” Each small victory builds a stronger belief in their ability to earn more chips, to take bigger risks, and ultimately, to achieve something they’ve never had.
Strategies for Empowering Risk-Takers:
- Explicitly Teach Growth Mindset: Help students understand that intelligence and ability are not fixed, but can grow with effort and practice.
- Create Low-Stakes Opportunities: Design activities where the consequences of failure are minimal, encouraging more frequent attempts.
- Model Vulnerability: Share your own learning struggles and how you overcame them, demonstrating that it’s okay not to know everything.
- Celebrate Effort Over Outcome: Praise the courage to try, the resilience in problem-solving, and the learning from mistakes, rather than just the perfect result.
In essence, we are helping our students understand that their internal reserves—their courage, their resilience, their curiosity—are limitless. We’re teaching them how to ‘get more chips.’ When we do this, we’re not just educating; we’re empowering them to shape their own futures, to reach for something they’ve never had by daring to do something they’ve never done.
Now it’s your turn to make a difference: go out there and light up a mind!
