GROW BRAVE
Develop your ‘courage muscle’ and live life to its full potential, writes Carolyn Hansen
TO BE AUTHENTIC, to express and live as the person we truly are in our heart, takes courage. Courage is not a trait given to a few select individuals at birth. It is a character trait, a quality and behavioural habit that can be gained and developed equally by everyone.
While our brain prefers predictability — continually choosing familiar responses as the quickest and safest route to eliminate fear and relieve stress — courage requires we step away from our programmed responses.
It demands that we explore new pathways and try new things. It requires that we face our fears and whatever else is trying to keep us deadlocked in our automated “safe-mode” responses.
Fear itself, is not something to be ‘feared’. Fear, as an emotion, is a signal that we’ve been given the opportunity to experience major growth. It is the catalyst that awakens and stimulates our greatest force, courage.
Winston Churchill states that: “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all the others.”
Our virtues of authenticity, humility, honour, integrity, confidence, compassion, passion and strength all take negative hits when we ignore the impulse to be courageous.
When we push back and shelve our authentic self in favour of automatic responses that provide the quickest relief Displaying courage means acting in permeates every cell with a heightened to any anxiety, we get caught in the trap accordance with one’s inner value and sense and the force that opens new doors of avoiding responsibility and begin opting belief system, despite the ‘seeming’ danger of opportunity and stimulates creativity. into playing the victim role. and that usually means taking some risk. To accept our present level of courage
We no longer honour our authentic self, It does not mean we are invincible, does as our only option, is a cop-out and our and the values that live in our hearts. And, noot imply that everything will go exactly first indication that we are living a limited, sadly, playing this victim role has become as we planned, nor will it automatically programmed life dictated by our fear files. an epidemic. delete self-doubt. But what it will do is give Courage is not staid, it can be built on, Courage is not for the faint of heart. At us the gumption to ‘step to the plate’ and expanded and grown into a huge force for ● times, it can be downright hard cultivate our ‘inner force of braver’ our good. Consider it a character-muscle to act in accordance with to move through these selfdefeating and like other muscles, it requires use. what our hearts are asking protective Every time it is exercised, it grows bigger of us. But that’s where its doubts. and stronger. power lies. Fear as a protective A courage workout, just like our gym
To compound the force, is a thief that workouts, is the key to building a healthier, issue, most of us have doesn’t know when to stronger and more resilient mind, body and been trained to stop. It represents itself spirit — one that is aligned and expressing immediately focus on in various, sometimes authentically. and get our logical very subtle, disguises, Just like a sedentary lifestyle silently but minds wrapped up in all such as procrastination. slowly destroys our body’s strength and the ways that things can go When we find ourselves physical health, a sedentary ‘courage wrong (we immediately don procrastinating about any one muscle’ will do the same to our mental and the “protective hat”). issue, we need to recognise that spiritual condition, eventually taking its toll
Our logic begins scanning its files for it is pointing us to the very issue that needs in all areas of our lives. solutions to have in place “just in case”. In our attention, the one we’re trying to avoid. It’s time to exercise this character this process of self-protection, we’ve Courage is the opposite force. It reenergises muscle, move past our mental roadblocks forgotten there is an opposite player to the in the face of the unknown, gets and procrastinating nature and begin negative scenario — how things can go our blood pumping and sends oxygen to tackling the many decisions we’ve put on fabulously right. the brain. It’s the energetic wave that the backburner.
It’s time to be authentically who we are and answer the call of our hearts, no matter what type of logic, limitations or protection our brain tries to convince us of.
Brave souls are busy inventing their futures. They are decisive individuals that see and value the reward/risk ratio of the unconventional path. What the timid see as obstacles, they perceive as opportunity. They know they have built a strong inner courage muscle they can rely on and call upon to navigate.
We can join the ranks of these brave souls. We can focus our “mind power” and transmute distorted fear energy into a power force/fuel of courage that moves us forward into the unknown with selfassurance, confidence and tenacity — the building blocks of greatness.
Once this flame of bravery gets lit, it becomes a self-perpetuating force as each spark of courage we display contributes to the growth of this inner force/flame.
Just as a toned and strong body takes hours of dedicated practice, repetition and challenge, so too does our character muscle of courage. But the rewards are a life filled with exploration into the unknown, daring adventures, new pathways of fun and excitement, success in areas we never believed possible and ultimately happiness and contentment with life.
Brave souls are busy inventing their futures.
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