Courage

I clearly remember one of the first times that I did something that surprised me so much. It just happened. I didn’t think, I acted. I was afraid, but I acted. I made a quick decision and I acted on it.

I was only nine years old on a playground in NYC and I glanced over to the other side of the playground and witnessed three boys from 6th grade taunt, tease, and terrify my little brother!

I had a choice to make at that moment. Either I would ignore what was happening or I would do something about it. I didn’t think too hard or too much. I might have discouraged or talked myself out of doing what I knew I needed to. A call I’ve regretfully made in other occasions in my life.

At that tender and young age, I found courage from within to run across that playground and stand between my brother and those bullies and fight them off with everything I had.

When we make the decision to act with courage, it may come at a cost, but it will also reveal what matters most to us.

Over the years, I’ve learned what is valuable and most important to me. I’ve also learned how scared and afraid I am, at times, to put myself out there and speak or act for those things and people that mean so much to me. Courage is not easy. It calls us to act, and that can be so incredibly uncomfortable, untimely, unexpected. But when we do, our heart might be beating harder, our mouths might be dry, our voice might be cracking, and yet, we feel proud and mighty. It gives us confidence and we learn to respect ourselves better and deeper.

Where have you shown up with courage and what has it revealed about what matters to you?

How would things change, if you showed up with more courage?