“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is feeling the fear, the doubt, the insecurity, and deciding that something else is more important.
Thought Bubble: Fear is what we feel when we sense a threat. This threat can be mental, physical, big, small, real or falsely interpreted. It can be anything from sensing or seeing a wild animal to being afraid of your bills.
Our fear protects us. Fear is our overprotective guardian. Fear gives us messages alerting us to threats and pain. It also ignites our fight or flight response. This gives us much needed energy and focus to fight back or escape.
Courage: courage shows up when you feel fear but it is cast aside and you act through your fear. Courage doesn’t exclude fear, it just makes your fear less limiting and you focus on the issue at hand. It doesn’t mean you will not feel fear at all, you will just find something more important to you then sitting sitting with your fear.
To gain courage, you have to face your fears and be successful enough times to gain confidence. Face the little fears first and become stronger by those results each step of the way.
Meditation: Breathe in and out. Visualize yourself building courage and trudging through something that scares you. Feel how you would feel when this thing was over with.
Building up a support system is ok but you might feel as if you are letting those you know down if you falter in your courage.