Courage Coin Micro-Bets
Build self-trust by investing one small, courageous action in yourself each day.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
Courage Coin Micro-Bets treats courage as a resource everyone possesses but must choose to spend. Instead of equating self-belief with quitting a job, refinancing a home, or making another dramatic leap, the framework begins with a tiny recurring investment in a desired future. That investment might be saving money for education, reading for ten minutes, practicing a skill, or completing one small business experiment. Jasmine compares the mind to a jockey and the brain to a powerful horse: the objective is to strengthen deliberate direction so mental energy stops running everywhere without progress. Repeated micro-bets train the brain to trust action and create evidence that larger choices are survivable. Over weeks, months, and years, small courage coins compound into skill, confidence, resources, and readiness for more consequential bets.
Origin
Jasmine Star articulated Courage Coins while challenging the claim that some people lack courage. She argued that everyone has courage but must practice cashing it in through small, repeated investments in themselves.
Core principles
- 01Courage is available but must be deliberately used.
- 02Large bets are built on repeated small bets.
- 03The mind must direct the brain toward a chosen destination.
- 04Consistency matters more than dramatic sacrifice.
How to run it
- 1
Choose a direction
Identify one future, skill, relationship, or career outcome on which you want to bet.
Pro tip Select one direction at a time to keep the jockey focused.
Watch out A vague desire produces vague actions.
- 2
Mint a small coin
Define a tiny investment of time, money, or effort that is meaningful but sustainable.
Pro tip Examples include saving £50 monthly or reading for ten minutes daily.
Watch out Do not disguise a destabilizing gamble as a micro-bet.
- 3
Cash it in consistently
Complete the chosen action on a regular schedule, especially when avoidance feels easier.
Pro tip Attach the action to an existing routine.
Watch out Occasional heroic effort does not replace repetition.
- 4
Collect evidence of self-trust
Track completed bets and what they teach you about your interests, capacity, and progress.
Pro tip Measure actions completed before measuring distant outcomes.
Watch out Do not dismiss small evidence because it is not yet a dramatic transformation.
- 5
Raise the stake gradually
Once the behavior is stable, increase the investment or take a more consequential action.
Pro tip Let demonstrated consistency earn the next level of risk.
Watch out Scaling before the habit is stable can trigger an avoidable retreat.
In the wild
An employee wants to change industries but cannot responsibly leave work. She saves £50 each month, studies free material for ten minutes daily, and interviews one practitioner each month. After six months, she has both course funds and enough evidence to choose the right specialty.
→ A frightening career change becomes a sequence of affordable, informed investments.
A non-runner resists committing to a marathon. He buys suitable shoes, walks and runs for fifteen minutes three times a week, and increases distance only after maintaining the routine for a month.
→ Repeated micro-bets develop fitness and confidence without requiring an immediate all-or-nothing commitment.
Common mistakes
Making the first bet enormous
A financially or emotionally destabilizing leap can reinforce fear instead of building self-trust.
Spending courage without direction
Scattered activity keeps the brain busy but does not move the chosen future closer.
Underestimating tiny investments
Small actions look insignificant in isolation, but their repetition creates the capacity for larger decisions.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for people who want meaningful change but are intimidated by all-or-nothing advice.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for urgent crises requiring immediate, large-scale intervention or professional assistance.
From the transcript
“But can you make tiny little micro bets on yourself?”
“I like to look at the mind as a jockey and the brain as a horse.”
“are you willing to take one coin every day and cash it in on you?”
From the episode
Embracing Uncomfortable Action to Build a Profitable Business with Craig Siegel from the CLS Experience