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THE COURAGE CRISIS Why Playing It Safe Is Killing Your Purpose
59 Plays7 months ago
Ready to stop playing small and start living bold? Mixon It Up is where faith meets action and courage becomes contagious. Host Sylvester Mixon brings raw, real conversations about fear, purpose, and breakthrough—the stuff we all struggle with but don't always talk about. This isn't surface-level motivation; it's practical truth that moves you from stuck to unstopped. Expect life hacks, powerful stories, and inspiration that makes you ACT. Whether you're facing a courage crisis or ready to level up—this is your space. Let's turn your mess into your message. New episodes weekly. Stop scrolling success. Start building it. Let's Mixon It Up!
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Mixing It Up'
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What's up, fam?
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Through self-development and spiritual growth, take the next step in life, love, and your leadership through the Mixing It Up podcast with your host, Sylvester Mixon.
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Hey, let's get ready to get empowered.
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admit it or not.
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And, you know, before we jump in, I want you to know that I see you.
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I see you scrolling social media, you know, looking at everybody else's highlight reel while still sitting on your dream.
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I see you in that job that you've outgrown.
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I have been there where I've worked for a company looking out the 11th floor window.
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You know, staying because it was comfortable, scared to take that next step and.
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imagining in my mind day after day, as I look out this window and as I'm working for someone else, a great opportunity, great benefits.
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I'm thankful for all of that.
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That's not what I'm saying, but I have been in that place where I have outgrown it and it is time for me to take the next step forward in faith with God, but stuck because I'm afraid.
The Role of Courage in Pursuing Purpose
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I see you.
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I see you with that business idea, that calling in ministry, that relationship conversation that is going to literally level up your relationship.
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But you keep putting it off.
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And today we're going to talk about why.
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I want to talk today about the courage crises.
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And why playing it safe is literally killing your purpose.
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You know what's crazy?
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We live in the most connected, most resource, most opportunity rich generation in human history.
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You can learn anything on YouTube, y'all.
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You can start a business with a smartphone.
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You can reach millions with a message.
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But here's the truth.
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Even though we're the most connected, when you think about it, we're also the most paralyzed generation.
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I heard this once that the absence of fear is not courage.
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The presence of fear is actually where courage begins.
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And if I could read that to you one more time, it says the absence of fear is not courage.
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The presence of fear is actually where courage begins.
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And the truth of the matter is, and I've experienced it and you've experienced it, if you really think about it, most of what we have done, new, successful, big steps, big opportunities, new doors has been done afraid.
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And, you know, I tell my church all the time, if you're going to step into your next, then you have to do it afraid.
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Yeah, the Bible says in Second Corinthians five, seven, we walk by faith and not by our sight.
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And the truth of the matter is, is we're not lacking information.
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We're lacking activation.
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And, you know, there's a gap between
Bridging Information and Action
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the two.
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And the gap between information and activation is really all about courage.
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If I could show you an example or paint two pictures for you today.
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Picture one would be you're at the edge of the pool and it's your first time and the water looks cold.
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Everybody's watching.
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Your heart is pounding.
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You know, you should jump in.
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But in your mind is what if I flop?
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What if I sink?
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What if what if I get scared and panic?
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What if people laugh?
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And so you don't jump.
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And it's probably was me.
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You walk back to your chair or, you know, you start scrolling your phone or you tell yourself, you know, maybe I'll do it next time.
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But next time never comes.
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And 20 years later, you still on the edge, still dry, still wondering what if.
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Listen, same thing I'm telling myself, go on and get them swimming lessons.
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Right.
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You don't want to be stuck in what if and over a multiple years.
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or a over several different things that you have not taken that next step on.
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Right.
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That's picture one.
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Picture two.
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Same pool.
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You got the same fear and your same heart pounding heart.
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But this time you jump in.
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You splash, right?
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It's cold and you come up gasping, but you also come up alive.
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You come up different.
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You come up with a brand new knowledge.
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Listen, that the water won't kill you, but staying dry just might.
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This is the difference between two pictures.
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And the difference between these two pictures isn't talent.
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It isn't privilege.
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It's not even opportunity.
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It's courage.
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Courage.
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Listen to me carefully is a muscle that you must work every day.
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Did you catch that?
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Courage is a muscle.
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And if it's going to get stronger, it's a muscle that you have to work out and exercise every day of your life.
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Here's what nobody is talking about.
Cultural and Spiritual Courage Crisis
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We are literally in a courage crisis.
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Yes, in 2025, and I'm podcasting this from America, but literally in the world in 2025, it is a courage crisis.
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It's not just personal.
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It is cultural.
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It is spiritual.
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It's an epidemic.
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A 2023 study from the American Psychological Association found that 68 percent of adults age 18 to 34 admit they avoid making major life decisions because of fear of feeling.
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They're afraid to fail.
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68 percent.
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That's more than two out of every three people.
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Walking around here with some type of chronic fear that they're not going to succeed.
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And these same people spend an average of seven hours a day consuming other people's lives through reels.
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Through social media videos, tick tocks.
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IG snaps.
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We will watch somebody else live courageously for seven hours.
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But won't live courageously ourselves for seven minutes.
Overcoming Comfort Addiction
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This is what I call comfort addiction.
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We've become so addicted to comfort.
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That we would rather be comfortable and miserable than uncomfortable and fulfilled.
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Somebody say do it afraid.
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It's time to do it afraid.
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Here's the truth, y'all.
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Here's the truth.
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Here's the truth.
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Your lack of courage is not just costing you.
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It's costing the people who need what's in you.
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Yeah.
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The business that you won't start.
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Somebody needs that solution that God's put on the inside of you.
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That book that you won't write.
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Somebody needs that message.
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Come on.
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That's been marinating through your personal testimonies and the timeless truths of the word of God.
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That conversation you won't have.
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Somebody needs that truth because relationships need to be healed and restored.
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That dream that you won't chase.
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Somebody needs that inspiration.
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The Bible declares in Proverbs 29, 25, fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be kept safe.
Breaking Free from Fear's Trap
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You know what that word snare means when you study?
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It means a trap.
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It means a prison.
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It means a cage and fear will always imprison you.
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You think it's protecting you, but it's really imprisoning you and not just you.
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It's imprisoning everyone who needs the free version of you.
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Listen, you got to do it afraid.
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Ask God to give you the courage.
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And then when God gives you that courage and he will, you got to take that step.
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Take that step into your purpose.
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Take that step into your destiny.
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Take that step into who God has called you to be.
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You are bigger than your past, your failures, your shame, your mistakes.
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You're bigger than that.
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And so here's what I want you to sit with as we get ready to go to break.
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What would you do if you weren't afraid?
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Think about that now.
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Not what do you wish you could do?
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Not what you would be cool with someday.
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But what would you do like this week, today, right now, if fear wasn't in the equation?
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Think about that.
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Hey, I'm Sylvester Mixon.
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You've been listening to Mixing It Up.
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We're in Big Today.