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Courage - Being afraid and acting anyways

Nadine Jones
Apr 1, 2017
3 min read

Courage -noun

the ability to do something that frightens one.

Courage is a muscle you exercise, a habit, one creates. We are not born courageous, so we shouldn’t expect to magically acquire it without practice. Courage is like any skill it takes practice.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela

Courageous is an empowering way to be. Our heroes and inspirational leaders are labeled courageous. Why is being courageous not as easy as we see in the movies? First off it’s a Movie and life just isn’t like in the movies! But seriously there are usually two reasons. First, to be courageous is to be willing to face fear and embrace uncertainty. For our own survival and safety we don’t like being scared or not knowing what is ahead. Second, most of us do not have a felt sense of what courage really is, even if you face it every day. Most people are not in a habit of naming their emotions, and noticing how they sense them with in there body.

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” - Winston Churchill

Let's Start Doing!

Gain knowledge - Will build your confidence about what you know to be true.
Get Clear - You must be very clear about what you want, and thus, very clear about what you don’t want. As you begin making progress toward what you do desire, you will be less easily swayed to go off course which will make it easier, allowing you to proceed forward even if no one understands your efforts.
Speak from a place of Conviction - Being clear on what you will and won’t tolerate, learning how to listen to your intuition, to have a voice when it is necessary. Practice saying what you think about small, inconsequential things: pleasantly, politely—but firmly.
Face what you fear. - Look it in the eye and determine what exactly it is that you are afraid of. Rejection? Being laughed at? Not being accepted? Often our fears are telling us what we desire the most in our lives, and it is up to us to listen to this internal message and follow that yearning.
Take a step outside of your comfort zone. - By being open to meeting new people, visiting a new place that you don’t know but are curious about, changing up your routine a bit, you are gradually strengthening your ability to be courageous.
More Action. - The act of just doing it and not over-thinking can actually work in your favor. Why? When we start analyzing, we welcome self-doubt which erodes our self-confidence. Yes, I believe it is important to ensure safety and respect for self and others, however then it’s time to just jump in.
Try. - Do your best. Learn from the results of that first attempt and do not become discouraged. We learn more from our failures than successes. Notice the sensations in your body as you push past fears, notice the change in sensation as your doing.
Trust Yourself. - With each year passing year you learn more about, what makes your heart dance, and learn to trust your intuition. You begin to understand what is worth taking a risk for, you know what is essential to you, and you begin to realize that you must choose the path of courage if you will reach true self-discovery and become all you are meant to be. I must not allow Fear to hold me back or stands in the way.

And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” — Steve Jobs

It takes courage to turn possibilities into realities. When courage guides our efforts, we can be confident that we not only are capable of accomplishing our goals and dream, but will feel worthy of them. As you begin to find courage inside ourselves and notice the sensation with in your body, as you stand tall shoulders high, you will walk with confidence knowing “living with courage is worth the effort”. The life I have envisioned for myself will not come easy, it will take work to achieve, but I am willing to fight for it. When we know that deep down our goal is worth it, we are worth it! We learn that courage is not reckless, it is common sense. With each action of courage – standing up for what you value, speaking out your beliefs, and taking action, you are not only creating a better life for yourself and those you love, but others you may not even know about.