What does it take to have courage? To go from standing at the edge of where you are to where you want to be, then make that leap?
The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz had to face his fears to get his medal of courage. Although outwardly he seems scary and fierce, inside he’s as vulnerable and fearful as a mouse. His intimidation is just a facade. Like many of us he so desires courage and bravery, yet he’s too afraid to do the things necessary (face his fears) to earn them.
But what can we, mere humans do, to fight our fears and wear courage on our sleeve, take big risks so that we can live the life of our dreams?
Fortunately for most of us, much of our fears are internal. We don’t need to chase our food or physically fight for our lives. When our hearts thump and our palms sweat, it’s usually because there’s something we need to do, but we don’t know if we a) have the courage to face it b) deserve the rewards that come with facing them.
So what do we do?
Well we can flee, run under the covers and hide. We can eat, shop and do anything else to escape from how we really feel because the anxiety of knowing what we want to do versus what we are doing now is too big of a pill to swallow.
Or we can…
- Make a plan. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the goal itself, creating a plan of where we want to be can help you feel like you’re doing something (alleviating some of your anxiety) when you’re not quite ready to make the leap.
- Take small steps toward your goal. Whether it’s researching other companies, finding out how much money you need to save for that trip you’ve always wanted to take or reading a biography on someone who’s life you want to emulate, small steps will eventually get you to your goal. Doing them will empower you, give you courage, confidence to go for the big stuff when you’re ready to take that step.
- Be open and listen to what’s going on around you. This year was a tough one for me. I’ve made tons of mistakes and continue to do so. But what has helped me more than anything is to be still and open to what life wants to teach me. When I have faith and trust in the process instead of forcing change, I gain tons of wisdom and insight and things tend to work out for itself in the end. Two things happened recently, which caused a shift in my thinking. For one, I heard about someone who made a huge risk and did something I was fearing myself. Knowing that someone else did what I was so afraid to do and survived it, gave me the courage to take that leap. Secondly, I prayed about a solution to my problems. I was making all these small changes in my life, but I was ready to risk big to live a BIG life. This morning when I woke I had the answer to my prayers. While I was sleeping, I heard someone say, “Just find your niche. Then follow, find and develop friendships with those who are doing what you want to do and will help support you.”
You already have the tools to be courageous. Perhaps you just needed to be reminded of that. But you can do it. Hope this post will help you get there!
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Monday, June 21st, 2010, 6:00 am | 
Facing Fears | 
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June 28, 2010 at 6:26 am