Posts tagged ‘courage’

May 8th, 2013

Keep Hope In Your Pocket

{Etsy print by JCSpock}

{Etsy print by JCSpock}

I admit I spend too much time worrying about the things that don’t end up even happening in my life. I worry about wasting time, but much of it is spent obsessing over the illnesses I have and the opportunities I don’t have.

Last night, however, I dreamed about possibility, hope and miracles. In it, I was told that everything we think we know about life is just the surface of what’s true. We grieve and bemoan our situation, for example, because we think it’s permanent. We allow logic to override miracle. We’ve grown too accustomed to computers and smartphones that tell us what is true instead of figuring it out for ourselves. And the weather? Trust your forecaster or Siri instead of just popping your head out the window.

As a result, intuition falls to the wayside. Hope no longer exists unless we have evidence to prove it.

Because something seems impossible or improbable we give up. But the whole notion of faith and miracle is dreaming up the impossible. If so, what we believe can be true is delivered to us on a platter.

Sounds easy, but the real struggle is challenging our old and jaded minds. We have to fight the fear of being vulnerable, being wrong, being disappointed.

We knew this as children. Every thing we absorbed then was magical. Do you remember it? But we let the pain and suffering of growing up wound us. Some allow it to wound them permanently.

If we can strip away the negativity, the paranoia, the obsessive need to know in this moment, we might return to that place of innocence, hope and joy. Instead of searching intently for a way to rid of your current ailment, let’s spend a moment in prayer and acceptance for what is so that we may lay open a door to possibility that everything. is. okay.

You won’t get that from the internet, a friend, your spouse, a sibling, or even a doctor. When you sit quietly or stand in the middle of nature, however, you will know it.

Do what you can with what you have and then surrender it and let it be. Life will happen regardless of how much you try to control it. But within those seemingly confining boundaries, there is and always will be hope. Trust in it. Hope is the armor of courage best used in battle. It will carry you through sleepless nights of worry, distrust, and panic. It is the only thing besides love that will help you through the unknown. And when you’ve landed safely on the other side, remember it. Remember that there is always a ray of light upon you just as you look back toward the shadows. It matters not what you go through, but where you’re focusing.

November 9th, 2012

Inspirational Quote: Friday November 9, 2012

August 30th, 2012

Ocean Talk

I’m far from being the first person to find symbolism in the waves and the ocean. And I certainly won’t be the last. But I hope you’ll humor me a bit with these few pearls of wisdom given to me by loved ones while playing on the beach.

“Man just when things are going good, everything gets all messed up.” – from my 8-year-old cousin.

As said to me by my husband while I swam frantically in the opposite direction of an oncoming wave:

“You know running away from the wave actually is worse. Going toward them is easier because you’re meeting them just before they break on the shore.”

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that the waves = fears and escaping them = well the same thing. When a wave comes barreling down toward me, I scream like a 4-year-old jump as high as heck and run as fast as you can in an ocean (a.k.a. not very fast). All that energy it takes to avoid them is pretty exhausting. And so it goes with life. You might not think of it, but the amount of fuel it takes to repress a problem, to avoid a fear, weighs heavily on your soul. And that’s energy that could be better spent on and with your loved ones, your passion, your dreams.

Surprisingly, when you go head on towards them, they’re not all that bad. Anticipation is always worst than the truth of what your facing. Even big and scary looking waves come down to shore eventually. What you need is courage in the interim when crazy anxious thoughts make even little waves look gigantic.

My advice?

Get grounded. Plant your feet firmly in the sand (or the cement or the dirt depending on where you live). Remember that waves ebb and flow, come and go, but you can always find your center. Getting grounded could be a physical sensation of security. But it can also be the safety and comfort you feel with a friend, the unconditional love you get from a pet or your partner. That strength will help you especially if you feel like an oncoming issue could wipe you out and knock you down.

Grab tools. Whether you’re swimming in the ocean or you’re wading through life, you need tools to help you meet any challenge coming your way. You need to learn how to swim for one and be prepared to do what you need to do to feel safe. Panicking is good for no one. Find solace in the tools you have around you-a life coach, a therapist, a good book-someone or something that has overcome big waves before and landed safely on the other side. Their wisdom can act as a guide, calming you so no matter what’s coming your way, you won’t feel alone.

Just do it. Sometimes it takes patience to overcome the big waves in your life. Sometimes it takes time to build courage, tools and to feel grounded. Other times you’ve got to stop wading around in the shallow side and take a risk to get to the deep end. There will never be a perfect time to do it. You can always have more confidence, be a little more prepared and have more courage. But that doesn’t mean it will be easier. Don’t wait for that calm day, it might never come.

Have any great tips on facing your fears ocean analogy or not?

May 14th, 2012

Where’s Your Courage?

{flickr photo by: dalechumbley}

I used to think courage was being able to sit through a horror flick without hiding under a jacket, asking a guy out, or giving a speech. All of which I failed miserably at. As a child, my mom used to buy me books and toys with a theme: A dog that said, “I’m lonely.” A mouse that said, “I’m shy.”

Okay I got it mom!

But as I got older, I realized that what I thought was courage, was far from what I thought it was. Yes, it took some guts and bravery to do the above. But real courage was strength.

The kind of courage I’m talking about is the one…

  • that pushes you to say how you truly feel.
  • that frees you to be yourself, not repressing your quirky parts out of fear from being rejected or your winning side so others won’t feel dim in your light.
  • that lets you sit in the unknown in peace and quells the anxious voice.
  • that gives you faith when nothing is going right and everything feels wrong.

Courage is sometimes the fierce lion, but often the determined mouse.

It’s not easy being courageous. But when we get to that mountaintop and feel the wind brushing our face, we will know that the only way to truly live is to be on the edge of comfort and walk toward our greatest fears with courage.

 Are you living your life with courage or in fear?

April 30th, 2012

Getting Back Control of Your Life

{photo by The Inspiring Bee}

In life, there is no room for bench warmers. There is no tree with which to hide, no tunnel to escape from, no magic invisibility cloak to help you vanish into thin air.

Perhaps that’s why we lean towards books and movies of fantasy and fiction. When life gets hard, we can’t just disappear for a moment, retreat within and return when we’re strong again. So we watch wistfully wishing we could momentarily catch our breath.

When life gets hard and we’re weary from the fight, the desire to “sit this one out” is great. How do you keep going about your day, maintaining work, chores, your daily tasks when a huge surmounting issue is weighing heavily on your shoulders?

I’ve worn that heavy cape. I’ve felt the crushing pull of not knowing, where you have two choices and neither are ones you would choose. And in that fear, I know that there is only one thing that can help me get through it.

Dig a hole through that tunnel. Find a way to walk through the fear on your own terms. If illness, loss, or some other impending doom is on your way, don’t avoid it, or succumb to the grief the way we’d suffocate under a wave. But find a way to feel like you have control.

For me, this means writing. Only in the process of writing can I completely lose myself to the words. I can forget whatever fear I’m about to face. I can let go of worry. I can forget about the worst scenario. Surfing the internet won’t help. Talking to others may not help. Sometimes the only thing you can do is to let go into the thing you truly love and find joy in this moment.

If you’re in the process of facing yours fears and you’re sick with worry, I hope you will carve a space for your gentle soul. Find a place where you can cry, where you can feel the wind on your face, where you can hold yourself with love and light and remember that regardless of the darkest shadows that want to linger, weight on you and drain you, you can CHOOSE how you will live your life. It may be a small choice. It may be choosing to walk instead of drive or draw instead of write. But if we can find a way to take control of what we feel we have no control of, we will again find the strength and courage to keep going.