In the words of my coach, Joan King:
“Courage is the expression of who you really are.”
Joan always made me dig deeper into knowing myself and challenged me to be completely and wholly ‘me’ all of the time. You might think this sounds easy—–but I know it is not simple or easy for any of us.
Courage doesn’t necessarily have the intensity of leaping out of a plane with a parachute. (As my daughter did in this photo). It can take many forms.
Courage means:
- being honest at all times, and not staying silent when you are fearful that your view or perspective won’t be met with complete agreement.
- calling out your teammate when they are gossiping instead of focusing on the work that needs to be accomplished that day.
- holding someone accountable when they’ve let you down instead of glossing over it, or complaining to other people about it instead.
- stepping in to lead, when no else is leading, and being able to step aside when your leadership is not needed.
Joan would finish with: “When we run away from the fear of conflict, of difficult situations, of difficult relationships and of the unknown, we diminish ourselves.”
If you are dealing with fear, and are looking for ways to call up courage, take some time this week to sit in silence and listen. See what fears are coming up for you. Ask for help to show you different ways you can meet your fear, and take action on what comes up for you.