Courage Is...

I hear many people speak of courage, especially in the context of those serving in our nation’s armed forces. It might seem that the first consideration given to those who are courageous are those who are armed and are forcing the will of a person or nation on to another. Many might think that courage is facing death. I want you to consider courage it takes to face ones life--your life!

Many of people are waiting for life to be a certain way before they volunteer, adopt a child, write a book, or simply go on vacation. It seems to me that waiting for life to change or arrange itself before you take action on a dream, especially something you’ve been dreaming of doing for a long time, could be risky, the kind of risky that contains very little courage.

One of my clients, ‘Margaret’ grew up with a very strong desire to be an artist. Her father considered her goal frivolous and would not approve of her attending a nearby art college. He considered that the career of an artist was not a real profession and wouldn’t support her financially. For many years she held professional positions that her father, who past away in the early 80’s, valued and respected. She has been quietly waiting for life to arrange itself so that she could live out her dream. So quietly in fact, that her daughters didn’t learn about their mother’s desire to be an artist until 2006.

‘Margaret’s’ life never did arrange itself to support her dream. She got tired of waiting for life to get organized and hired me to coach her as she organized it herself. She started formal art classes at the age of 69 and today she’s a very talented artist that has sold several paintings, commissioned more than once, and has had one public show. ‘Margaret’ is courageously facing life by taking action on a dream she’s held for six decades.

I would be lying if I told you that ‘Margaret’ doesn’t have challenges to overcome in her life as an artist, yet her challenges reside only in her head. Fearful stories and visions of rejection and failure are first conjured up in the mind and a simple solution is to take action regardless of the fear. Courage lives in the action!

Courage is in facing your life, not death!