Grow courage through small exposures and treat failure as required practice

Courage rarely arrives as a feeling. It shows up as a calendar block. You plan a tiny rep, your pulse quickens, and you do it anyway. Last Thursday at 11:45, you put “ask one question in all‑hands” on your calendar. When the moment came, your heart thumped, your palms cooled, and your mouth went dry. You asked it anyway. The reply was practical, not profound, and the ceiling didn’t fall.

That afternoon, you wrote a three‑line debrief. “Felt nervous. Question landed fine. Next time, prep a shorter version.” You scheduled another rep for next week. This time you scripted the opening line on a sticky note. During the meeting, you waited two extra minutes and then jumped in. It felt 10% easier. Your coffee tasted a little sweeter afterward; maybe it was just relief.

Two months later, you’ve done eight tiny reps. None of them made headlines. A few were awkward. One was great. But the scale changed. What felt like an eight now feels like a four. You’re not fearless, you’re practiced. And when you sent a pitch that got ignored, you logged it, tweaked the subject line, and sent another. The game became one of attempts, not perfection.

Exposure therapy says fear shrinks when you face it in graded steps. Growth mindset research shows skills grow with effort and feedback. And behavioral science reminds us that pre‑decisions and time‑boxing keep you from backing out. Failure is not the opposite of progress here, it’s the evidence you’re training the right muscle.

Pick one small fear rep that’s a 3 out of 10 and put it on your calendar with a script for the first line. When it’s done, jot a three‑line debrief and book the next rep within a week. Treat each attempt like data you can use to adjust your approach. Keep the stakes tiny but the repetitions steady. Your job isn’t to feel brave, it’s to show up for the rep. Choose your rep and set the block right now.