BE COURAGEOUS!!! YOUR COURAGE IS THE MAGIC KEY THAT TURNS YOUR DREAMS INTO REALITY!!!!!!

Courage is “having strength in the face of pain or grief.” Courage is the ability to act on one's beliefs despite danger or disapproval. Courage is also called daring, audacity, boldness, grit, true grit, hardihood, heroism, and gallantry, among other things.

Living Fearlessly and Being Courageous: What Does That Mean?

Living fearlessly is not about being tougher than the next guy, or being immune to feeling afraid in the grips of a perceived danger, or feeling overly confident in the presence of the unknown. It is not about overcoming fear, either. It is more about befriending fear and loving yourself just the way you are, really.

Living fearlessly is also about being courageous. It is about being fearlessly courageous. Courageous. Courage. What is courage?

Let’s go to my computer’s dictionary and see what it says about courage. It says that courage is “the ability to do something that frightens one.” Courage is “having strength in the face of pain or grief.”

Courage is the ability to act on one’s beliefs despite danger or disapproval. Courage is also called daring, audacity, boldness, grit, true grit, hardihood, heroism, and gallantry, among other things. Wow.

Now we know what the dictionary says, but what is the lived experience of being courageous?

So, therefore, to have courage meant moving from my heart in the face of being afraid, and I was often afraid. Prior to that, I thought of courage merely as bravery and believed that one needed to be big and strong to be brave.

Trusting strangers with my life was the most challenging by far. Yet I found my personal courage to do these things as I mastered the fear that tried to stop me.

Since 1976, life has offered me countless opportunities to practice being courageous, and I confess that I don’t always find my courage. In fact, I am still learning about it every day.

Today, whenever I am curious and want to understand courage more deeply, all I have to do is go outside and turn to the natural world all around me.

There, I see the baby bird stepping off the edge of the nest to fly, because that is what chicks do — they find the courage to fly.

I see the seed surviving drought and sprouting after the summer monsoons finally arrive, because that is what seeds do — they find the courage to sprout.

I watch the ducklings following their mother downriver without thought of where she might be leading them, because that is what ducklings do — they find the courage to float downriver, following their mother.

I see the cottonwoods bend with the fierce wind that precedes the thunderstorm, because that is what cottonwoods do — they find the courage to yield to a power greater than themselves in the moment.

I see the willows growing again after being trimmed back, simply because that is what willows do — they find the courage to grow again.

I see the chipmunk pup emerging from the underground sanctuary called his nest for the first time, because that is what chipmunk pups do — they find the courage to pop out of their nests and run around.

I see the goslings take flight and practice the V formation in preparation for a long migration south come autumn, because that is what geese do — they find the courage to go south.

I see the doe with her fawn crossing the river in search of new tender leaves, fully exposing herself and her baby to predation, because that is what deer do — they find the courage to risk their lives and munch everything they can munch to fatten up for winter.

I see a tree that grows from a barren and cracked rock sucking nutrients from imperceptible soil, because that is what trees do — they find the courage to defy the impossible and reach for the sun.

How about the first day of school for the kindergartner, or the first steps taken by the infant-soon-to-be-toddler? That is just what they do — they find the courage to grow up.

The modeling of courage in nature is an endless stream of purposeful and courageous action that offers lessons on the lived experience of courage every day and every night.

But don’t believe me. Go out into nature and see for yourself. Go with courage. Go with confidence. Go with discernment. And as Rhonda Britten would say, be fearless.

HOW CAN YOU BE COURAGEOUS-8 Really Effective Tricks to Boost Your Courage

1. Ask yourself: Should I take action to solve this fear? ...
2. Remind yourself that fear can harm you. ...
3. Remember that fear is just chemicals. ...
4. Enlarge your comfort zone. ...
5. Do something to engage your cognition. ...
6. Name your fears. ...
7. Meditate, or at least stop and breathe. ...
8. Embrace your fear, then let it go.

No doubt about it, fear sucks. Here's how to put it in its place.

Is fear holding you back from trying something new or going after what you really want? Here are some ways to get past it.

I hate fear. Fear has cost me a hefty sum in dental bills from grinding my teeth. Fear interferes with sleep, digestion, and many other things that make life worth living. When you examine some of the worst things human beings have done, you'll often find fear as the root cause. There's no doubt about it: Fear sucks.

Here's what's worked best for me over the years. (And if you've found something else that works, I'd love to hear it!)

1. Ask yourself: Should I take action to solve this fear?

You wake up in the middle of the night. You're terrified that the promotional copy on your new website isn't compelling enough and no one will buy your product or service. If your site is launching next week, it might make sense to rewrite some of that copy or get a copy writing expert to evaluate it. If your site launched last week, it's smarter to wait and let analytic s tell you precisely what is and isn't working. In general, it makes sense to trust that the earlier you who made a decision was at least as smart as you are now.

All fears are not created equal. Some are useful, and some are useless fears that you can't or shouldn't do anything about. They sap your strength for no reason, and you should put those fears in their place. Worrying about a comet striking Earth falls in this category.

2. Remind yourself that fear can harm you.

Fear evolved for a very good reason--to keep us safe. But in many situations, it actually endangers us. I don't just mean in the sense that stress and worry can destroy your health, although they certainly can. I mean in more immediate ways. In scuba diving, for instance, fear can cause you to breathe too fast, swim too hard, move too suddenly, fail to take note of your surroundings, or rise too quickly toward the surface. (I know--I've done every one of these.) The same thing can happen in other high-pressure situations, such as if fear causes you to mumble or fail to focus on your audience while giving a presentation.

Knowing that fear has the potential to harm you can help you set it aside. Fold up the fear, put it in a box, and promise you'll get back to it later at a less dangerous time.

3. Remember that fear is just chemicals.

You may think it's your judgment deciding that something is dangerous and you should be afraid, but what actually happens is that fear chemicals are flooding into your brain. Experiments have shown that fear can be induced artificially by injecting these chemicals. (Another way we all know this is that most of us get more timid as we age. It's not that the world's gotten more dangerous; it's that our brains process chemicals differently.)

Do the chemicals know what you should and shouldn't be afraid of? Of course they don't. You do.

4. Enlarge your comfort zone.

Have you ever watched someone not from an urban area encounter an escalator? He or she often finds it frightening. People who never fly are often terrified of getting on a plane, whereas they don't fear driving, even though statistically, that's the more dangerous activity.

The more we stick with what's familiar, the more frightened we'll be every time we encounter the unfamiliar. So seek out unfamiliar territory--try new things, stretch yourself professionally, risk being seen as a fool. I have a sign on my office wall that reads "Did you do something scary today?" It's a good reminder to keep stretching beyond my comfort zone.

5. Do something to engage your cognition.

One good way to take back your brain from chemicals that are flooding it is to do something that engages your prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain that reasons. There are a few ways to do this, but one of them is to focus on problem solving, such as doing a crossword puzzle, bookkeeping, responding to business emails, or other such emotionally neutral activity. I personally find that sitting down at my desk to work always helps me temper an emotional storm.

6. Name your fears.

Naming your fears always takes some of the power out of them. So telling a friend, your partner, or your spouse what you're most afraid of can be a great way to cut those fears down to size. I find it's very helpful to write them down. The simple act of doing that causes my thinking brain to kick in, and even as I'm writing the words, it begins coming up with solutions and backup plans in case my fear comes to pass.

7. Meditate, or at least stop and breathe.

Meditating (sitting quietly and trying to clear your mind of all thought while you focus on a word or phrase, or simply your breath) can make a huge difference to brain function, even if you do it for only five minutes a day. But sometimes a daily meditation practice of even a few minutes is hard to maintain. (I don't manage to do it, even though I know it works.) If so, you can still help yourself, especially when you're feeling afraid, by simply stopping for a few moments and focusing on your breath. Filling your brain with oxygen will help it drive out fear.

8. Embrace your fear, then let it go.

One of the most effective antifear tricks I've ever found happened when I was on a yoga retreat in Costa Rica two years ago. At the time, my life was more full of uncertainty than usual. My husband and I wanted to relocate. Our finances were more precarious than usual. Not only that, the day before I left for the trip, a small rental house that we own was badly damaged in a fire.

Far from home, there was little I could do to solve our problems or even communicate much. Things would work themselves out--our insurance would pay for rebuilding the house, and we would get our finances in order. But at the time, my fears were running wild. Finally one day, I decided I was sick of it. I was in a yoga class at the time, so I gave myself permission to wallow in my worries for as long as the class went on. When it was over, I told myself, I would be finished with useless fear.

It worked better than I expected. I was able to stop fretting and enjoy the rest of the trip. And even now, when I find myself grappling with useless fear, I remind myself that I'm finished with that, and it helps.

WHAT COURAGE REALLY IS...

Feel the fear and do it anyway – THEN, and only then, you will experience true courage. Courage is NOT the absence of fear; it is acting in spite of fear. You become more courageous when you choose to confront fear, pain, perceived danger, uncertainty or intimidation.

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose the sight of the shore.” Christopher Columbus

Courage. It’s a desirable quality to have and an empowering way to be. Our heroes and inspirational leaders are labeled courageous. We are told throughout our life to “be courageous,” but that isn’t always easy. In fact, courage is often one of the most difficult qualities to truly integrate.

Why is being courageous not as easy to embody as the heroes make it look in the movies? There are two main reasons. First, being courageous means being willing to face fear and embrace uncertainty. YIKES! We don’t like being scared or not knowing what is ahead. Second, most of us do not truly understand what courage really means.

Think of something that you are scared to do. Perhaps it’s a conversation you are nervous to have, a job change you are afraid to make, or a relationship you are terrified to leave. You are feeling fear, hoping that one day you will feel courageous enough to finally do it (whatever your “it” is). You don’t like not knowing what is on the other side of a choice. In fact, it is petrifying. Staying in the known, however undesirable it may be, feels a lot cozier.

But what are you waiting for? Some miraculous moment when all of a sudden you don’t feel scared? A sign from the Uni-verse that gives you more certainty? Sorry to break it to you, but that is not the way courage is developed.

Courage is feeling fear and moving forward anyway. So if you are waiting for fear to disappear before you take an action or make a choice, you are going to be waiting indefinitely. You are allowing fear to paralyze you. You are mentally strategizing the perfect scenario in your head that feels “safe” enough before you take action.

Stop waiting for the perfect conditions to arise. Stop waiting to not feel scared. Feel the fear and do it anyway – THEN, and only then, you will experience true courage.

 

Courage is NOT the absence of fear; it is acting in spite of fear.

You become more courageous when you choose to confront fear, pain, perceived danger, uncertainty or intimidation. You embody courage when you move forward even in the face of opposition or discouragement.

I remember in my Spiritual Psychology program at , my teacher, once shared a story about Napoleon, the powerful military and political leader during the French Revolution. Somewhere in history an interview is documented with him where he was asked how he fearlessly led his troops into battle. His response (and I’m paraphrasing) was that he was absolutely terrified but did not allow that to stop him. That is courage.

Want to be a hero? How about a leader? Then you must be willing to face the fear and uncertainty in your life. And I’m just not talking about running into burning buildings to save people. Heroes and leaders speak their Truth and take actions that are aligned with Love. People who are courageous are willing to honor the calling of their hearts even when, and especially when, it feels scary.

The root of the work courage is “cor” which is the Latin word for heart. Did you know that courage originally meant to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart? That’s been my experience of courage. When people hear my story, particularly the part about leaving my successful career and later ending a marriage that I knew in my heart wasn’t right for either of us, they often acknowledge my strength. I don’t see myself as strong, but rather as having strength of heart. I was TERRIFIED but I did it anyway. And now I actually understand what this desirable and empowering quality of courage is all about.

Are you ready to truly embody courage?

You don’t have to be fearless to be a leader and a hero in your own life. Face your fear and move forward anyway. Do not stall anymore hoping for the right conditions or clarity. Move forward. Speak up. Take an action. Care less about what other people think. What do YOU think?

What are you waiting for?

You are only denying yourself the experiences your heart is longing for. You are much braver than you give yourself credit for. Whatever the internal or external battle is going on in your life, it’s time to fight for the change you crave. The sign that you are waiting for from Universe is that longing in your heart. Stop waiting for a Universal green light. Trust that as you move forward, the Spirit’s got your back.

You will be victorious!!!!

Don’t just listen to your heart . . . honor it by being courageous.