There are far braver people than me. I do not live in a war-torn country; I have food and clean water, I have no life-threatening illnesses to contend with (the overactive thyroid is controlled with diet). I am blessed. However, I am told that I have courage. We never see traits like this in us, do we?
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. We must do what we think we cannot to.” Eleanor Roosevelt
All I did was leave someone who was leading a double life. Yes, I left everything behind, moved to a new country and had to find new friends, a new way to run my business and a new way of living.
Yes, there have been challenges – that’s a bit of an understatement, to be honest.
However, I was lucky, the Universe, I believe had laid out the pathway to here, long before. She created the conditions for relationships to end, enabling a house purchase, discoveries to be made and for me to find my way here. It was all I think pre-ordained.
No bravery in pre-destiny.
Life may have felt tough at times. There have been many times that I have needed to be strong. There have been many occasions where my confidence and courage have been shaken.
In every challenge, without a doubt, that courage and confidence have grown. So that when I needed to leave, although I couldn’t know the outcome, I could take confident steps towards a new future.
I have such deep gratitude for what I have experienced and learned. Being thankful has created conditions that have allowed my courage and confidence to grow. Being surrounded by beautiful souls feeds these. My journey has brought me to a place where the right environment has been created for me to thrive.
Over these last six years, I have needed lots of courage and needed to dig deep. I had to use courage to create change. Little did I know that I would need the courage to enable me to adapt and grow and as a way to prepare for the uncertainty that came (and was to come) my way.
You can never be sure of any outcomes, but you can build courage and confidence to ensure that you can take appropriate action towards what you do want.
Being vulnerable and having the Courage to be you
Discovering your connection to your divine inner wisdom, connecting to your purpose, and changing your life is breathtaking. It is probably one of the biggest undertakings of your life because quietly you have been doing it all of your life – you just didn’t realise it.
From the moment you were born, when no one told you that you couldn’t, you just got out there and rocked. Naturally, you were influenced by the people around you. Some of which, despite being well-intentioned doing more harm than good.
If you wanted to wear pink trainers with an orange frock, you did. If you drew a picture, you would run around showing everyone, the same with your stories. So what happened?
Life gets in the way of confidence, and it’s as if people can smell that confidence or lack of it when they meet you.
Look at dogs, they greet each other warily and do a lot of sniffing. Either one or both of their tails go up, and then they decide who the top dog is. It is almost instantaneous. You can learn a lot by watching animals. My Ferdy dog struts his stuff, rushes up to everyone for a tickle; he is uber-confident that everyone will love him. What’s not to love, he is beautiful and fairly well mannered.
Sadly we lose our connection to our energy source which keeps the flame of confidence and courage burning, somewhere along the way, for all kinds of reasons and that is ok, it is just part of our journey.
At some point, though you need to fight the fear, change your mindset and take control of how you want to be perceived and unlock your heart and the gates to heaven.
In fact, take the word fear out of the equation and embrace the funny feeling in your tummy and heart. The other side of fear is excitement; you must be feeling that. Feels better, doesn’t it?
Courage is keeping going come what may (while staying out of danger, remaining authentic and ecological), and confidence is not giving in to the fear, rather embracing excitement.
What is courage?
What is it? What does it mean to you? To me, it is simply the ability to embrace whatever life throws at me, with confidence. It’s working with my inner knowing, listening to my intuition and guides and sometimes taking small steps and sometimes big leaps, in the knowledge that I will be caught and I will be held on the way.
Courage comes in many sizes and shapes, from confronting Harry, the spider to making a sacrifice to gain something important. Sacrifice in the sense that you are surrendering the old you, enveloping yourself in your excitement, so that the new you can wake up, become aware and be alive – truly alive.
- 1300, from Old French corage(12c., Modern French courage) “heart, innermost feelings; temper,” from Vulgar Latin *coraticum (source of Italian coraggio, Spanish coraje), from Latin cor “heart,” from PIE root *kerd- (1) “heart” (see heart (n.)) which remains a common metaphor for inner strength. In Middle English, used broadly for “what is in one’s mind or thoughts,” hence “bravery,” but also “wrath, pride, confidence, lustiness,” or any sort of inclination. Replaced Old English ellen, which also meant “zeal, strength.
Courageous people have a certain power and control over their destinies, even when they don’t know what is around the corner (how can they?). They know that because their values support the foundations of who they are and they have a healthy mindset (even if it waivers) anything is possible.
Courageous people know in their hearts that there is a deeper purpose for the way that their lives have unfolded.
They have faith. They have love. They are love. They share their inner beauty with the world because they believe that many hearts can make a big difference. Through their very being, they demonstrate courage, love and light.
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear — Nelson Mandela
Journaling prompts
- What does courage mean to you?
- Identify when you last showed courage – did you embrace it or brush it off? Think of three people, any three who you believe are courageous, why are they?
- What you see in them is a reflection of your courage. How does that feel?
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