What does it mean to be courageous? What does courage look like? These are some of the questions I’ve been thinking about as I coach my clients not to let fears rule behaviors. Instead, be courageous, trust yourself and trust those around you.
Here are some quotes that inspire me to have courage. I hope they inspire you too.
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. E.E. Cummings
It takes courage just to grow up and do the hard work that it can take to find your real purpose. Clarifying what you are passionate about, defining your skills and gaining knowledge and experience are good places to start. It’s also helpful to have friends and family who support you. They allow you to fail and help you start again and again and again.
Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim. Nora Ephron
You have control of how you react to what happens to you. Always seeing yourself as a victim will never lead to an innate sense of power and joy. Conversely, if you are the heroine (or hero) of your life, you ARE in control. Even if it feels like everything is falling down around you, when you are the heroine, you can choose how you see your circumstances and find positive impact in them.
Don’t be afraid of your fears. They’re not there to scare you. They’re there to let you know that something is worth it. C. JoyBell C.
I think about the number of times I’ve heard from clients, friends and from myself statements such as “I’m afraid to talk about this with my family”, “What if she fires me?!”, “I can’t get up in front of all those people!” or the like. Being courageous makes us vulnerable and it’s hard to be vulnerable. But, if we reflect at all, most of us realize that when we do something that scares us, we learn something very valuable. And sometimes the lesson is that we did not have the experience we feared.
Boldness be my friend. Arm me, audacity, from head to foot! William Shakespeare
This is the call to action. Boldness, courage, even audacity can be your friend. These ways of being can take you to places you have only imagined. The image that I conjure as a read this quote is of Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz” daring to speak up to the Wicked Witch; having the audacity to call the Wizard a fraud; and finding her way home because she had courage.
So be inspired and see what good things happen to you when you are the heroine (or hero) of your own life. When you have the courage, boldness and audacity to face your fears and be your best self, then you will truly be courageous.
