Live a Life of Courage

How would you like to develop the kind of courage the be successful? In living a life of courage you will be able to redefine and transform your world.

All of us want to believe that we would rise to the occasion if we were met with a need for bravery. Would we choose fear or courage? One way that fear takes hold of us is through negative mind chatter. This occurs all day, every day. By giving in to the small negative thoughts, it becomes more difficult to conquer the larger problems.

To move toward a higher level of courage, you must want to improve your life more than you want to stay comfortable. You do not want your fears to decide your actions.

ADVANTAGES OF  

KEEPING THE FEARS  

• I can stay a victim. I get to

complain often.

• People pay attention to me.
• I can feel sorry for myself.
• I can do nasty things and have a

built-in excuse.

• I can stay in my comfort zone.
• People don’t expect much from me.

Some people naturally have fears and negative mind chatter that are difficult to overcome. Consider what your negative mind chatter is saying. Think about what fears it is protecting. Do the advantages of combating the negative mind chatter and the fears involved outweigh the disadvantages? If not, be honest with yourself.

 “Cheerfulness, it would appear, is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within, as on the state of things without and around us.”

 ― Charlotte Bronte

If, however, you like the advantages for keeping your fears, then you will not want to change. Motivation begins with understanding what is going on. After that, you need a willingness to be honest with yourself. When you look at something you do not like about yourself, be willing to admit it and move on or do something about it.

Think about your negative mind chatter and understand what it says, its motivation and the fears that drive you. Everyone has fears, but it is how you deal with those fears that determine the kind of life you will have.

You may want to ask yourself if your worries are deciding your life. It is a good thing to be prudent, to be careful, but after you have done that, override the thought. Remind yourself that you have chosen not to let fear decide what you will do and what you will not do.

If you have had a traumatic experience, it may take some time to adjust.

Example: Mary lived in a house that was broken into and robbed. She wasn’t home at the time and mostly replaceable items were taken, but every time she drove into the driveway after the robbery, she was afraid of what she would find and how she would react to it. She developed an action plan to cope with the worse case scenario. She had to feel the fear and work through it by telling herself that it would not stop her. She would not move or try to stay home. She would not allow robbers to rob her of her peace of mind.

Many people have gone through much worse and will go through worse in the future, but the question still comes down to: “Will I let fear decide the quality of my life or will I decide?”

Everyone has weaknesses. You are stronger than you know. Always remember your strengths. 

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

― Frank Outlaw

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

• Do you find yourself overwhelmed by your fears? We all feel this occasionally. However, living in overwhelming fear is counterproductive to a courageous life.
• Do you really want to be courageous or do you like your fears?
• Courage requires going out of your comfort zone. Are you willing to do that?
• Are you willing to give up the comfort and security of your fear and step out into the unknown and fight your fears?
• When?