Where have you shown courage of late? And what has been the cost of courage for you?
It takes courage to stand up for yourself or someone else in the face of opposition.
Saying a bold ‘no’, or a faith-and-fear-filled ‘yes’ both take courage, and also require a counting of the cost.
Much less glamorous but equally important is the courage required to remain in a difficult situation, be it a job, a relationship, a friendship, or to face into a health crisis over which you have little control but to do so well.
Or to do something that you find daunting or intimidating, or just straight-out unpleasant.
Courage is often required to walk into a room full of people, or to stand in front of others and talk.
Perhaps you have recently had the experience of presenting work to a meeting, be it a viva or a uni crit, or a work presentation. No matter how often you may have done this before, the butterflies are a timely reminder of the courage required to open our mouths and put forth something of ourselves.
Because courage like this comes hand in hand with vulnerability.
What often holds us back is fear.
Fear can hold us back, keeps us trapped and prevents us making that first small step towards what we know we CAN do or we desire to do – for ourselves, for others, for our communities perhaps.
We might not take that step because we are afraid to fail. [Heard the fun term analysis paralysis? More on that here if this is you!]
But what if we succeed?
Or we anticipate rejection to our request so we don’t ask for fear the answer will be no.
But what if the answer is yes?
Equally, it might be that we really want to say no, but are paralysed into agreeing with something we do not want to do for fear of rejection, or conflict, or confrontation. Choosing to stand up for what we want, to stick to our values and keep sight of our boundaries, takes courage indeed. More on that here, when I took a big bravery pill and said no to a scary teacher…and also lots of inspiration to learn HOW to say ‘no’ well.
Being true to yourself takes courage.
This is something Brene Brown talks about in her book The Gifts of Imperfection. I have not long finished reading this, and it requires some considerable musing to really allow her ideas and challenges to sink into my soul and change my mindset and behaviour. Listen to these words:
Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we thing we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are….there’s risk involved in putting your true self out in the world…sometimes choosing being real over being liked is all about playing it unsafe.”
What is the cost of courage of this nature to you?
Perhaps this week it is about saying ‘yes’ to something you need rather than ignoring those needs and running yourself into the ground. Maybe it is making a choice that flies in the face of what others expect of you. Or accepting the fullness of who you are and allowing hitherto hidden parts to be seen.
It might only require 20 seconds of insane courage – more on that here and the film that inspired that post. Like walking over this bridge into the fog, we do not know what awaits us on the other side, but we know it is worth the risk.
Or simple, plain old ordinary courage – to be the first person to say “I don’t understand” in a meeting, or to identify with someone in a difficult or potentially humiliating situation by expressing empathy and connection. Here’s Brene again:
“Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line. In today’s world, that’s pretty extraordinary.”
Pretty extraordinary…and worth the cost of courage.