Verbal Breakdown #1 Courage, where does it come from?
Ralph Azar
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We often hear people say, “find your courage”, or “don’t you have the courage to ...?”, or “you need to have the courage to stand up for what you believe in”.
Yaaaaaa, all that is good and true but the real question for me has always been “where does real courage come from?”. Is it from within? Or is it from outside? Are we born with it? Or is it something we gain along the way?
The truth? I have no friggin’ clue! I’m just asking questions here...
Is courage equal to being fearless?
Is courage acting despite fear?
The dictionary has two very similar definitions of “courage”:
- Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation; and,
- Courage is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.
Again, very nice indeed! But that still does not answer where does courage come from? And where do we find our courage? The sad news is, there is no right or wrong answer… to each his own, I guess!
Unfortunately, there isn’t a book you can read or a class you can go to in order to get courage.
Here is where I tell you what I think :) …
For me, courage is NOT something from within. You don’t go meditate for two weeks or take a course and come back and say “Yupppp I found my courage, now bring it on!”.
A person gets his or her courage from the people around them. It is the support, hope, love, empathy, and kindness, and… that people around you give you that instills in you the sense of courage; the sense of going that extra mile; the sense of staying the course regardless of your own fears and anxieties; the sense that you could overcome what-may with those people around you. For me, my dear friends, this is where courage truly comes from.
Many may agree or disagree with me. That’s ok!
There is no right or wrong answer… to each his own. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Well, this was my Verbal Breakdown for this week. Have a great weekend and see you in the next one.
Till then, keep it safe, keep it real, and keep it simple!
Ralph
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and not to the author's employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.
Mid-high managers Leadership Coach|Expert EI|Talent dvpt|Behavior change|Make confident, sound decisions under stress/fear|Build Trust/|Create safe, positive culture for high-performing teams|Inspire|Present|Negotiate
11 个月I believe courage is internal. It's not the absence of fears but rather seeing them eye to eye and neglecting them. The first step is to recognize them, identify them, name them, and slay them. I love positive psychology, and my clients appreciate my coaching methodology, which I just shared above. They become quickly more confident. But overcoming fears and self-management is a skill that you need to keep practicing to keep improving, just as you train your bodily muscles.
Quantum Technology ● Cryogenics Solutions ● Space and Defence ● 5G/6G Telecommunications ● Antenna Technology ● Research and Development ● Test Equipment ● Aerospace ● Edinburgh ● UK
3 年You are Courageous Ralph Azar. If you are not courageous what are you? Timid? I feel it’s internal but can see why people think it’s external. I enjoyed reading your post
Regional Director @ Instructure
3 年Great take Ralph - I land somewhere between courage being built by the support system that you highlight, and through the internal resilience built from incremental steps and repetition of activities just outside our comfort zone. Looking forward to the verbal breakdown series!
Lead Facilitator | 13+ Years of Creating "Eureka!" Moments for 25K+ Employees and High-Performing Teams | Engagement Strategist | Author of “Public Speaking X: Tips to Unleash the TED Speaker in You”
3 年Thought-provoking! Recommend seeing Brené Brown talk about courage from the lens of empathy as part of her Netflix special