What does it mean to be courageous? The dictionary defines courageous as brave or bold. It defines courage as the ability to conquer fear or despair, valor, bravery. For me, being courageous involves taking risks, stepping outside my comfort zone, letting go of what I can’t change, and facing my fears and doing it anyways. It takes great courage to step beyond what is known, comfortable and predictable. The words of Martin Luther King Jr. speak to this, “Courage faces fear and thereby masters it.” One of my favorite quotes is “What would you do today if you knew you could not fail?” by Robert Schuller. One of the questions I ask myself on a regular basis is “How can I be courageous today?” I’ve developed some simple tips that have helped me, here they are.
Five Ways to be Courageous
- let go of what you can’t change
- allow yourself to be vulnerable
- go to an event alone and introduce yourself to five people
- set a boundary with someone
- allow yourself to be genuine in the presence of others
What about you? Where in your life do you need to step into your courage? When was the last time you did something fearless? How often do you step outside your comfort zone? How many risks have you taken lately? Who in your life encourages you to be courageous? Can you think of five ways you are courageous? I would love to hear from you about how courage shows up in your life!
I like that you associated being vulnerable with courage. So true. I am really trying to keep my development focused on what I can do or not do to become a better person and courage is definitely a big player in that game.
Thanks for your comments Michelle. I call what you described having an “intentional conversation.” The last place I worked at in 2013 uses this model in the office and it works really well. It definitely takes courage to have one of these conversations as it can feel uncomfortable to initiate this sort of communication. Good for you for practicing “Intentional Communication!”
Thanks Anna. Tell me more about what you’re doing. I see these posts from all over the world and wondered if you are a professional traveler. Sounds like your travel includes lots of opportunities to be courageous. Do you have a website I can check out?
Thanks Nanette. I think what you did was both courageous and fearless. That’s a gutsy thing to do, moving to a new city where you know absolutely no one. Kudos to you for stepping into your courage and fearlessness!
Thanks Kama for your thoughtful comments! I agree about the vulnerability piece. To get to my courageous place, I must first allow myself to become vulnerable. It is from this place that I can step into my courage, strength and power. Here’s to be COURAGEOUS!!
I love this post! Courage has big pay-offs. Once in a while, someone else’s actions have a negative impact on me. Finding the courage to let them know, to keep our relationship healthy and clean can require courage – and faith. Thanks for the timely reminder!
I believe allowing vulnerability is the courage factor that stands out for me. When I allow myself to be vulnerable that is when I find courage and my life goes through amazing changes. People often tell me that I am a courageous person. I say I am an introvert who has been pushed in to an extrovert life. I have merely allowed my vulnerability to be present and have stopped resisting the changes. Often people say that in order to feel vulnerable we must step out of our comfort zone. I wonder though if it is just as courageous to stay within a personal comfort zone, and to not feel the need to conform to the norm of comfort?
Fun post to ponder, Nancy. I suppose the last time I did something courageous (I won’t say fearless because that’s not accurate) was today. It’s my new reality having recently made the decision to move to a city where I know (knew – I’ve met a lot of great people in 3 short months) no one. What an exhilarating journey it has proven to be.
Lovely post reminding us to reflect. I travel a lot while trying to work on my professional development in psychology…difficult and requeires courage every day. Presenting my skills in other countries in foreign languages I need to learn. Stepping out of a comfort zone requires courage. Courage gives freedom.