Quotes and Wisdom
from the Top of the Mind™
from the Top of the Mind™
Courage
"Courage isn't the absence of fear, but a decision that what we want is more important than what we are afraid of."
Courage, of course, has always been a quality admired by all, and one that many have identified as a necessary element to success. However, I wonder if it has been misunderstood by many as well? For example, when we think of "courageous" individuals and/or "acts of courage," we almost always think of extraordinary people (such as firemen or solders) doing extraordinary things (such as pulling people from burning buildings or charging into the teeth of an enemy stronghold), and certainly this is one way to look at the concept of courage.
Given that my goal is to help individuals, families, and organizations become more successful in everyday life, I am going to suggest that we take a more practical look at the concept so that we might include this way of being in how we see ourselves, and how we make choices in our lives. For example, if you ask most people if they see themselves as particularly "courageous," my guess is that most would say no. This is unfortunate because if we have defined the concept of courage as necessary for success, and yet don't see ourselves as possessing this quality, then we have, by definition, limited our potential for success. Therefore, I am going to suggest that we use this week's quote ("Courage isn't the absence of fear but a decision that what we want is more important than what we are afraid of.") as an opportunity to redefine the concept so that we can begin to include it in our definition of who we are, and how we go about creating the life we want. Or put another way, if we can look at courage not as some extraordinary quality limited to the few, but simply a decision about what is more important, then we might begin to see ourselves as courageous, and thus have more access to this and the success it brings.
For example, have you ever been afraid of some situation or experience but went on to push through that fear, and acted on what you wanted to accomplish? Have you ever been afraid of flying, initiating a conversation, applying for a job, etc., but because you decided that whatever you were going for was more important, you didn't listen to your fears but instead followed your dreams? If so (and I think most of us have had such an experience), I'm going to suggest that this definition is not only more helpful, but more accurate. More helpful because it speaks to the quality of courage in such a way that we can begin to see it in our everyday lives, and more accurate because it speaks to how a decision to act in the face of fear requires thought. This is different from the individual who impulsively jumps into the river to save someone or who pulls some stranger from a burning car. While certainly "acts of courage," these are simply examples of reactions versus decisions which is evidenced by the after-the-fact interviews where the "heroes" are saying that they didn't really think about it, they just did it.
Again, my goal here is not to diminish the more dramatic acts of courage that we hear about from time to time, but to make sure that we are also including a definition of the concept of courage that we can apply to ourselves and our lives. Chances are we all will find ourselves facing the choice between what we fear and what we want, and if we can ask ourselves the question "Which is more important here, my fears or my goals?" then whatever we decide will be informed by this conscious process of deliberation. I believe that this more purposeful way of coming to a decision regarding what we do is also a more purposeful way of deciding what is important in our lives, and thus who we are. I further believe that as we continue to follow what is important versus what we are afraid of, our view of ourselves as the courageous beings we are and thus our potential for success will continue to grow and expand as well.
Given that my goal is to help individuals, families, and organizations become more successful in everyday life, I am going to suggest that we take a more practical look at the concept so that we might include this way of being in how we see ourselves, and how we make choices in our lives. For example, if you ask most people if they see themselves as particularly "courageous," my guess is that most would say no. This is unfortunate because if we have defined the concept of courage as necessary for success, and yet don't see ourselves as possessing this quality, then we have, by definition, limited our potential for success. Therefore, I am going to suggest that we use this week's quote ("Courage isn't the absence of fear but a decision that what we want is more important than what we are afraid of.") as an opportunity to redefine the concept so that we can begin to include it in our definition of who we are, and how we go about creating the life we want. Or put another way, if we can look at courage not as some extraordinary quality limited to the few, but simply a decision about what is more important, then we might begin to see ourselves as courageous, and thus have more access to this and the success it brings.
For example, have you ever been afraid of some situation or experience but went on to push through that fear, and acted on what you wanted to accomplish? Have you ever been afraid of flying, initiating a conversation, applying for a job, etc., but because you decided that whatever you were going for was more important, you didn't listen to your fears but instead followed your dreams? If so (and I think most of us have had such an experience), I'm going to suggest that this definition is not only more helpful, but more accurate. More helpful because it speaks to the quality of courage in such a way that we can begin to see it in our everyday lives, and more accurate because it speaks to how a decision to act in the face of fear requires thought. This is different from the individual who impulsively jumps into the river to save someone or who pulls some stranger from a burning car. While certainly "acts of courage," these are simply examples of reactions versus decisions which is evidenced by the after-the-fact interviews where the "heroes" are saying that they didn't really think about it, they just did it.
Again, my goal here is not to diminish the more dramatic acts of courage that we hear about from time to time, but to make sure that we are also including a definition of the concept of courage that we can apply to ourselves and our lives. Chances are we all will find ourselves facing the choice between what we fear and what we want, and if we can ask ourselves the question "Which is more important here, my fears or my goals?" then whatever we decide will be informed by this conscious process of deliberation. I believe that this more purposeful way of coming to a decision regarding what we do is also a more purposeful way of deciding what is important in our lives, and thus who we are. I further believe that as we continue to follow what is important versus what we are afraid of, our view of ourselves as the courageous beings we are and thus our potential for success will continue to grow and expand as well.
Take care and God bless, Dr. Bill