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What is courage?
I can start by telling you what it’s not.
- It’s not sitting on your couch day after day willing your dreams to become a reality.
- It’s not taking class after class as a way to stall action.
- It’s not resistance, battling, fighting to hold your dream hidden from judging eyes.
Courage is being open, flexible, moving gently in the direction of possibility. It is allowing one’s self to dream, take action and then to believe.
When you are courageous, you are the opposite of muscles, brawn and cold-hearted strength.
It is flexing your vulnerable muscle, being open to defeat, knowing the risks involved and your costs, and then doing it anyway.
I say this because there are too many people who believe that to be happy, to venture out and begin to live their dreams, they need to have guarantees. Maybe it’s the world we live in today where comfort is a must, guarantees should be well, guaranteed.
At the same time, know that you can be courageous by taking tiny, itsy-bitsy steps.
If you’re getting signs that the job you have right now just isn’t the right fit, slowly dip your toes in the water. Check out job boards (try do it after work). Start talking to friends, family and acquaintances about areas of work you are interested in.
Above all, keep trying.
Don’t give up the fight.
Keep working on what is you want. Create a vision board either online or with magazine cut-outs. Look at it every day. In fact, look at it as soon as you wake up in the morning. See if you can bring that intention to fulfill those goals into your daily life.
To me, courage is taking a risk that I will be hurt, ridiculed, embarrassed, judged, laughed at and know that no matter I have the tools to pick me up after that fall.
Create your own first aid kit for bad falls.
- Fill it up with spa days, a good for the soul reward after difficult situations endured.
- Have the right pal on hand to comfort you and remind you what a star you are.
- Watch a pick-me-up movie to forget your mistakes for the day.
- Do something for someone else to put life’s seemingly serious transgressions into perspective.
It’s not easy to be courageous, but then again it’s not easy to live the life of your dreams.
Yet, it is so worth it.
What are you doing to be more courageous?
Link Roundup: Good Stuff From This Week « Kristin Offiler
July 1, 2011 at 1:02 pm[…] on theinspiringbee.com, Brandi-Ann writes about creativity and inspiration, but for me, this post about finding the courage you need to fulfill your dreams was especially interesting. If you feel […]
Finding Your Calling from Miss O | The Inspiring Bee
July 6, 2011 at 10:05 am[…] finally faced the final episode of the Oprah Show. Talk about courage […]