Being courageous isn’t necessarily about skydiving or jumping off of a cliff. Or of taking the leap to self-employment or pursuing creative expression. I often hear clients, friends, and colleagues say things like, “I don’t have that kind of courage,” or “I’m not being courageous” as a reason for not moving toward doing something that they long to do.
Some people are natural risk takers. I’ve met people who are risk takers from a physical standpoint. They’ll climb Mt. Everest, hike the Appalachian Trail, or go parasurfing at the blink of an eye. I’ve met others who are intellectual or emotional risk takers who attempt to create the kind of life they want and refuse to let anything or anyone stop them.
We all have courage heroes, people whose courage we admire whose actions have paved the way for us to walk boldly forward toward our own dreams. I have several courage heroes, but the one who comes to mind as I’m writing this is Percy Ross. Percy Ross was a creative man who started several businesses. The first business failed after he received a bad check from a vendor, and when no one would loan him money, he borrowed money from a local gangster to start his second business, which initially faltered, causing him to file bankruptcy, and then it took off. He eventually became a self-made millionaire, and he had a syndicated newspaper column called “Thanks a Million,” through which he responded to people’s requests for money. Over a period of 17 years, he gave away an estimated $20-30 million to individuals and organizations who asked him for money. Percy Ross was willing to take risks, ask for what he needed, and share his good fortune.
Most people assume that courage is a lack of fear, but really, it’s the ability to feel fear and do what you want anyway. Courage is something that we can all develop, and the way to grow courage is to act courageously by doing something that we fear. We don’t have to climb Mt. Everest in order to build courage. There are endless acts of courage that we can take every day. All that it takes to grow courage is conviction to take action and move forward. I’ve started a list of things that we can all do to work toward being courageous.
- Try something new
- Do something that you don’t do well
- Ask someone on a date
- Listen to people when they talk to you
- If you’re a neat freak, be messy
- If your house is a mess, clean it up
- Let go of relationships that hurt you
- Cook a meal for someone you love
- Send a card to an estranged loved one
- Send flowers to someone anonymously
- Listen to your inner voice
- Take the day off and do what you love
- Dance
- Take a yoga class
- Quit a job that drains you
- Take an art class
- Sing out loud
- If you love someone, tell them
- Open your heart
- Be authentic
Pick one, and start building your courage today! You might try exploring some of these ideas in your mindful journaling practice!
Learn more about working with Jen to help you overcome fear.