Moxie: March The Elephants

ONE STORY

 
(The Brooklyn Bridge. Image by Sam Amil. 2018.)

"Don’t Argue with Fear. Crush It with Proof."

THE PANIC
In May of 1883—just six days after the Brooklyn Bridge opened to the public—panic hit.

A rumor swept through the crowd: the bridge is collapsing. Chaos followed. A stampede. Twelve people were crushed to death.

Confidence in the bridge evaporated overnight. Commuters stayed away. Engineers issued statements. Experts gave reassurances. But no one believed them.

That’s when Phineas Taylor Barnum stepped in.

THE SHOWMAN
P.T. Barnum wasn’t an engineer. He wasn’t a politician. He wasn’t even a New Yorker.

He was a showman.

By then, Barnum had toured the globe with human curiosities, staged grand illusions, and built “The Greatest Show on Earth”—a circus that redefined entertainment.

But his true genius wasn’t the spectacle. It was this: He knew how to make people believe again.

So when fear took hold of the city, Barnum didn’t write an op-ed. He didn’t haul engineers onto a stage. He didn’t explain the math or the materials or the tension in the cables.

No. He staged a moment no one could ignore.

THE SOLUTION
On May 17, 1884, nearly a year after the tragedy, Barnum marched 21 elephants across the Brooklyn Bridge—led by his most famous star, Jumbo, a 6½-ton African giant. Swaying. Stomping. Trumpeting. 94,000 pounds of living, breathing, undeniable proof. If the bridge could hold them, it could hold anything.

(Jumbo the Elephant. Image from the collection at the Barnum Museum)

The crowd watched in awe. The press ran the story nationwide. And just like that—trust returned. No lecture could have done it. No memo. No data set. Just action. Massive, unforgettable, decisive action.

And Barnum? He didn’t just calm a city. He filled every seat in his next show. Because sometimes, the only way out of fear is forward.

Not with more words. With elephants.

TWO QUOTES

“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.”
—Samuel Johnson

“You don't think your way into a new kind of living; you live your way into a new kind of thinking.”
—Richard Rohr

THREE TAKEAWAYS

1. Doubt feeds on delay.
The longer you sit in uncertainty, the stronger the fear becomes. Fear doesn’t need facts—it needs time and silence to grow. Don’t give it either. Instead, take action.

2. Action is a signal.
Every bold move you make sends a message—to your nervous system, to your mind, and to those watching: I’m not frozen. I’m moving forward. You don’t have to convince anyone. You just have to show them.

3. You can't outthink fear.
The only way to overcome overthinking is to take action. You can’t plan your way into peace. But the moment you move, clarity arrives. Confidence isn’t a precondition for movement. It’s a product of it.

 MOXIE REFLECTIONS

• Where in your life are you waiting when you could be moving?

• What’s your version of marching elephants across the bridge?

• What small, visible, undeniable action could reset belief—in yourself or others?

QUICK HITS

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
As we reflect on taking bold action, let's look at historical figures who embodied this principle:

(A Cinco de Mayo Celebration, 2019)

➡ May 5, 1862 – Cinco de Mayo: Underdogs Defy Empire At the Battle of Puebla, a scrappy and outnumbered Mexican force stunned the world by defeating the French army—then considered the most powerful in the world. It wasn’t just a military win; it was a moment of national grit, pride, and improbable courage. A reminder that belief beats odds.

➡ May 5, 1961 – Alan Shepard, First American in Space In a cramped capsule atop a volatile rocket, Alan Shepard launched into the unknown. His 15-minute suborbital flight made him the first American in space and signaled to the world that the U.S. wasn’t backing down in the space race. A moment of pure courage—on full display at 116 miles above Earth.

➡ May 5, 1884 – Alice Milliat Is Born: The Woman Who Made the Olympics Listen Denied a place for women in the Olympic Games, Alice Milliat didn’t beg or wait—she acted. She founded the Women’s World Games and forced the IOC to take women’s sport seriously. She didn’t just protest exclusion. She created inclusion. And changed the game forever. 

TOOLS FOR GROWTH

PATTERN RECOGNITION: Availability Heuristic
Availability Heuristic is our tendency to judge the likelihood or truth of something based on how easily we can recall vivid examples—especially emotional or dramatic ones.

Why it matters: After the 1883 stampede on the Brooklyn Bridge, the public didn’t fear structural failure because of data—they feared it because they had seen panic, heard screams, and remembered death. Those images were mentally “available,” and so they felt true.

Result: You don’t respond to reality—you respond to the most vivid story in your head. One bad outcome, one dramatic failure, one scary “what if,” and suddenly you're avoiding the next step—not because it’s dangerous, but because your brain keeps replaying the last time things went wrong.

Your fear isn't always logical—it’s just memorable.

MENTAL SKILL OF THE WEEK: High-Agency Thinking
High-agency thinking means taking ownership of a situation—even if you didn’t create it—and choosing to act boldly, rather than waiting for perfect conditions or permission.

How to use it: Instead of asking, “Why is this happening?” ask, “What can I do right now?” Instead of waiting for clarity, create it through decisive action. When you take full responsibility for your role—without excuses or hesitation—you turn fear into motion and obstacles into opportunities.

When you stop waiting to be rescued, you realize: you were the rescuer all along.

ONE MORE THING

The next time fear shows up, don’t try to out-think it. Out-perform it. You don’t need to know every step. Just the next one.

Clarity doesn’t come from talking.
Clarity comes from taking action.

What's one bold action you'll take today?