"Courage Practice"
"Common" human beings go through life with each day being fairly similar to every other day. Some call that coasting through life. Safe but not very interesting nor satisfying.
What holds us back from doing what we really want, being who we really want to be? Fear!
But this kind of fear is usually mental-emotional with no real physical danger involved. Even so, the internal response to even the idea of doing or saying something a bit out of the box can be quite daunting.
Two simple strategies (one easy, one not so easy) can help you live a life that is incrementally ever more rewarding:
First – make a list of all the things you want to do, have, or be that have been previously beyond your reach. This wish list is your motivation to enact number two.
Second – start making it a practice to do one brave thing every day. These acts of courage can be quite small. In fact, if you make the courage goal too big, you simply won’t be able to do it. But think in terms of building your courage muscle over time. Imagine yourself a year from now having 365 small acts of bravery under your belt. Just feel the strength of that long-term accomplishment.
So notice today when a voice within you arises when an obstacle comes your way. Assess the risks, and if it feels even remotely possible that you could say what needs to be said (do use your emotional intelligence) or take a step that feels a little scary, then take a deep breath, remind yourself that you’re not going to die from the act, and step into the act of bravery.
When you are done, measure what degree of inner and outer success you achieved or didn’t achieve. Note what you can do differently the next time, and celebrate the heck out of your accomplishment. Even give yourself some kind of reward for your accomplishment in courage. And discover over time how much easier it gets to take even a single brave step as a daily practice.
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