Life will never be predictable and will not always be comfortable. You need the courage to find it within yourself to go stand up and keep going amidst all life’s chaos. It does not mean you are not afraid but it means you have the strength of spirit to get past that fear or take that uncomfortable path to do whatever it is that you have to do.
With courage, you don’t allow fear to overwhelm and paralyze you. But rather you know or at least try to manage your fear.
You need courage each and every day. For some, it even takes courage to simply wake up and get up to face a new day. Every individual has their own fears and needs that little more courage.
You need a little more courage to stand up from a fall…
To keep going when life is difficult
To endure sickness and to heal
To stand up for what you believe in
To be more independent.
You need a little more courage to go the extra mile
To change careers or to apply for a promotion
To reach your dreams
To do something heroic
To go on an adventure.
You need a little more courage to say “no”
To stop abuse
To put yourself first before anyone else
To be yourself.
You need a little more courage to give up on something you have to
To accept defeat
To say you’re wrong and you’re sorry
To let go.
You need courage to ask for help
Even a little more courage to tell someone you love them.
Courage Takes Work
One thing about courage is that it does not come out of nothing. It needs work and even a little acting. Here are ways to find more courage within ourselves:
Know and face your fears
You need to know and face your fears if you ever plan on learning to manage them. Ask yourself what you are afraid of and what areas in your life where you could be more courageous in. Think of the many things you are missing out on because you are too afraid.
Name your fears and in doing that they lose part of their power. You can share your fears with a friend, partner, or spouse and they may even help you realize how to let go of those fears. You may even simply write them down. It can trigger your brain to start formulating answers and fallback plans in case your fears come true.
Embrace your strengths and weaknesses
To find the courage you must first know who you are. Know what you are good at and keep working on them. Capitalize and draw strength, confidence, and courage from your strengths to enlarge your comfort zone. If you’re unsure of what those are or need an outsider’s perspective, ask someone for their advice, or a professional to help you explore them in various ways such as enneagrams, personality tests, or even a numerology reading. That courage you have gained through your own effort will help you become more confident to take opportunities as soon as they are presented.
But remember as well not to be caught in your weakness. Know those weaknesses that might be causing you to lose confidence. Overcome them little by little. But be realistic as well and know your limitations.
Remember that you cannot have it all and failure is part of life. Failure is okay sometimes. You do not always need to fear it. You can learn, grow and gain from it. It’s okay to make a mistake and say sorry. It’s okay if apologies are sometimes not accepted. You can become the bigger person apologizing first regardless of how it was accepted.
Practice courage every day
You can’t practice courage occasionally. Although there will be occasions when you must show courage in a crisis, the real change will come from the things you do every day.
One thing you can do each day to practice courage is to practice your right to say yes or no each day. Because they don’t want to be held accountable for their decisions, the majority of people dislike making their own decisions. They don’t want to take responsibility for errors, accidents, or worse-than-desirable results that may result from making a choice. This is not courageous.
Making your own decisions every day must become a habit if you wish to choose courage. Being courageous is a skill, and just like any other skill, it can be honed with regular practice. Sometimes you even just need to act courageous and you become one.
To build your courage-muscles dare to step outside of your comfort zone little by little each day. Look for certain scenarios that you feel you are cowering from but where the stakes are not as high. Try to overcome little fears like saying “hi” first to new people you come across or going to a movie alone before you do something big like asking someone out on a date for the first time, or for a job promotion.
By starting with little steps, you can get the hang of being courageous without a lot of risks at first. Eventually, you become a master of courage and tackle bigger fears.
Make Things Happen
Being courageous is easier said than done. That can be true. But at the end of the day, you can always decide to just jump into it. You do not need to wait for the fear to go away because the fear may never go away. You just have to decide that you want things to happen in your life.
In everything you do, accept that things can go both ways. Accept the good and the bad in life. You just have to decide what risks you are willing to take. What’s comforting is that you will not always be afraid if you choose to be courageous now. Believe you are brave and you will be.
It’s in the chances that you were courageous enough to take that you get to experience whatever life has to offer. Don’t hide. Speak up. Take whatever is rightfully yours. And if we stumble and find ourselves fearful again, know that in our quiet moments we can always find more courage within ourselves.
