Have you ever had a day when you’ve felt alone in the world? Or a day, where you expected a tough day ahead, where you knew you would need to pull courage up from the depths of your being to get through it?
We all have those days.
I’ve had one today. I buried my Dad early this morning.
It’s days like these that call you forth to be fully in your self-leadership and personal greatness.
It’s a day, like the day you bury your father. Or it’s a day, like the day you are called to do something you would prefer not to face.
You will have these days. At some time or another you will be called to face the unfaceable.
The blessing is, it is these days that will call forth your intention to also be a little more courageous. It’s these days that will ask you to make a conscious choice to go beyond your perceived limits and limiting beliefs. And, it’s this conscious choice that will help you to step into and beyond the fear that wants to paralyze you and the gut-wrenching feelings that want to overwhelm you.
It is this meaningful movement through limiting beliefs and fear that happens after you decide you are going to acknowledge barriers and still “do it anyway” (whatever it is) that will bring you success. It is the movement that moves you through activities that you’ve never done before that will bring you self-inspiration. It is the movement forward as you repeat an unpleasant task – over and over again that will build your character.
It is this meaningful movement that once you complete on it – you stand taller, prouder, more confident and at ease for having taken the action that was most needed.
You have an amazing capacity for courage. You too can go far beyond your imagined limitations.
Here are 7 tips help you to become more courageous:
- Recognize the distinction between real risk and anticipated or imagined risk. Doing a grounded, level-headed assessment of whether your action will indeed have a negative result or if it is just imagined seems like a basic thing – yet when the part of us that wants to stay safe is running the show – sometimes there is a merged distinction. Separate the truth from the interpretation and you will do a better job of qualifying your level of risk.
- Bring in the resources you need. Resources can be money, time or energy. It can also mean bringing in a supportive relationship or making a physical change to accommodate your courageous action. Making sure you have the resources you need is not a sign of weakness is an indication of wisdom.
- Be authentic. The congruence that comes from being authentic is almost a necessity when you hope to trust your intuition. When your head, heart, and hands are in alignment, the guidance you will receive from your intuition will be more in alignment to what is going on.
- Keep your focus on being effective. Effectiveness is doing things in a streamlined manner. It’s about getting things done and eliminating delay. By keeping “effectiveness” as your standard, you’ll access your courage more often.
- Master your state. Effective state management means leveraging the emotional state that would most effectively allow you to carry out meaningful goals. It doesn’t mean going cold or closing things down emotionally. It does mean embodying resourceful states that allow you to be at your best. Most people are surprised to hear this skill can be taught and learned.
- Inspire Yourself. Having a view towards what is truly meaningful or the “Big Why” of your meaningful goal is imperative for holding a vision that pulls you forward. (Even in the face of a little fear)
- Keep the snowball rolling. Courage builds exponentially with courage practiced. The more courageous you are – the more courageous you become. This is good news of course because this means you can start small and build from there.
Being courageous can take on many forms and happen in many, many contexts.
It may look like standing up, speaking up, walking through, writing a speech, standing beside, saying no, saying yes, or even being silent.
The need for courage may happen at home, in your career, with your partner, your family or your community.
However your call to courage appears – embrace it. See the perfection of what you are being called to do. Be your personal best. Be a great personal leader.
