A Thousand Words On Courage

Courage is the most powerful drug on the planet. You have an unlimited supply of that drug within you. All you need to do is aim it at something and unleash it.

Courage and success are inextricably linked.

The courage to wake up every day, see the world in a positive light, and do the hard work to make an impact is a rare trait that brings with it massive rewards.Every human has courage within them, I am telling you that you have it too.

You have the courage to stand out in the crowd.

You have the courage of your convictions.

You have the courage to free your mind and soul.

You have the courage to speak the truth.

The courage to do these things resides within you if you are only willing to let it out.

It also takes courage to move out of your comfort zone, to make sacrifices to improve yourself. To push yourself past your old limits into new territory. To take that extra step, do that extra rep, go that extra mile. You have courage, you prove this to yourself every time you do something difficult.

If it seems like courage is lacking in the world today, it is because we punish courage. The tenacity to stand your ground is often met with hatred and anger. The nail that stands out, gets the hammer. Why would we do this? The reason we punish courage is because we lack courage ourselves. This lack of courage makes you feel shame and that shame gets projected onto your source of envy - 'the brave one'. If you can tear ‘the brave one’ down, you no longer need to face your own shortcomings. But this is self defeating behaviour, the right path is to honour courage in yourself and others. 

Courage is a muscle that can grow. You can develop courage into an automatic reflex that is reliable in all situations. Much like muscles can grow with exercise, courage can grow every day with the right exercise plan. The way you exercise your courage is by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone as a daily routine. If you do this every day, you will find that you are becoming more courageous in significant ways.

The simple act of free will is an act of courage. To a certain extent, we are all acting on reflex, like robots programmed for repetitive tasks. This is how we get through our day without going mad with endless decisions. But it is easy to submit to the robot existence and forget that you have free will, you have the ability to choose your destiny. Exercising free will takes courage, it is not an act for the timid or the weak of spirit. It is very much like swimming upstream in a rapid current, the second you stop, you begin to lose ground. You fall back into 'robot mode' and lose the presence of mind and spirit required to be free.

An act of courage can come in many forms, it could be as simple as doing something that makes you uncomfortable. Doing something you could avoid, but you do it anyways because it will make you stronger, that is also an act of courage. Personal growth is an act of courage, you could easily fail, but you do it because you want to be better. Kindness is an act of courage, your kindness could backfire or go unappreciated, but you do it because it matters. Checking in on friends and family to make sure they are okay, that is an act of courage. Any selfless things you do to make the day better for someone else, are acts of courage. They may seem small and insignificant to you, but those little acts of courage compound over time. Those little acts of courage can make a huge difference in the world.

To enjoy extraordinary success and abundance you need to be extraordinary. You need to do extraordinary things. You have already done many extraordinary things in your life and you will continue to do so in the future. The extraordinary effort is a matter of courage and will. The courage to stand out and the will to act on your intentions. It is one thing to intend to be better, but the extraordinary individual acts on those intentions. Manifestation only occurs with real world action. Real world action takes courage, will and fortitude.

Do not wait until it is too late to summon your courage. The cost of facing your fears head on is discomfort and uncertainty, the cost of not facing your fears is a life of conformity, predictability and mediocrity. If you choose the latter, you will possibly experience less pain, but you will undoubtedly experience less joy, adventure and growth as a result. A basic requirement of a life well lived is to take chances, to explore the unknown. You don’t just buy the ticket, you get on the rollercoaster, put your arms up in the air and scream. There is great freedom in that act of defiance in the face of fear, it is an addictive drug that you carry deep within you.

Walk through the fire with boldness and you will come out the other side a Phoenix. In walking through the fire you are burning off the useless baggage and hang ups of the old you. You will be emerging into your full potential, your true self. The courage of engaging in this act throughout your life guarantees your success. Such courage will be rewarded. Know that this is true. Move forward with confidence and faith in the value of being brave in a troubled world.

I will say it again, courage is a muscle that can be built. Courage can be cultivated through habit into an automatic reflex that is reliable in all situations.

Make it a goal to commit one act of courage each day and you will be fearless in very short order.