I had a galvanizing moment myself, but its origin will seem odd to you. At 13, I was sexually molested by my uncle. He was methodical in his actions, well-practiced as we discovered much later when other cousins shared their stories that were identical to mine.
Because I was debilitatingly shy, never able to muster even a single word, let alone eye contact, with most people, to summon the courage to fight back was a life-changing moment for me. As he continued with his verbal threats to kill me if I ever told anyone about his actions, my brain was quickly strategizing escape routes and survival techniques.
I believe that day, and specifically the actions that occurred within a four-hour time span, led me done a path of continually challenging my own comfort zone and allowing me to envision outcomes that otherwise would seem impossible. I believe this terrible story had a very happy ending.