Believe it or not, you have done some pretty courageous acts in your life. We are blind to our courage because we define it as doing something of major heroic proportions like going into a burning house to save someone's life. In truth, courage is much more simpler than the heroic actions. Courage is when we dare to take a risk on large and small levels. We step away from our safe, familiar zone and move into the unknown. In being courageous, we are in touch with our instincts and willing to act on their guidance. We may not know how our actions will turn out, but we are willing to try anyway.
Courage allows us to expand the boundaries of our lives by seeking new experiences. Courage is very personal and unique from person to person since each person has a different definition about what is risk. Our risktaking depends on the current boundaries of our comfort zone. Trying Thai cuisine may be a risk for one person while it may not be for another person. No one act is more courageous than another. Therefore, it is useless to compare two acts and declare that one is more courageous than the other.
Courageous acts are often small, but very powerful in helping us to expand our life experiences. We often fail to see these small acts of courage as important. You do courageous acts on a regular basis without realizing it. You were being courageous when you tried sushi for the first time or ordered a new coffee flavor that you have never had before. The day that you asked for help was an act of courage. The day that you took a social risk by making small talk with a stranger was an act of courage. The day you asked for a raise was an act of courage. All these small acts of courage have prepared you to seek out new, greater experiences in the future.
Courage has nothing to do with how our actions turn out. Often, when we take a step into the unknown, we may not like the results. The results are not what are important, it is the act of trying and taking the risk that matters. Our willingness to try something new makes us courageous. Every time we take a risk, it becomes easier to take future risks. We are actually building up our courage muscles.
When we step into new, uncharted territory and find our results undesirable, we have a choice in how we see the experience. We can see it as completely negative and useless. We can put ourselves down for taking a risk in the first place and vow not to take any more risks. With this option, it is difficult to expand and grow as a person.
We have another choice of seeing our undesirable experience as a part of our learning curve in life. We can give ourselves permission to keep trying new experiences. We may not like all of our experiences, but we can continue trying out new experiences. Our experiences may fail miserably, but we can see these as temporary missteps that we can recover from. There is hope after a misstep, no matter how large it seems. We can see what lessons are present in our experiences. We can learn from each experience which helps to prepare us to continue going after what we want. Every act of courage means we are opening our lives to new possibilities. Once we get started, there is no stopping us. The exhilaration of new experiences will lead us to seek out more big and small adventures in life.
Expanding our courage also means not worrying about what other think about us and our actions. Some people are afraid to be courageous because they do not want to fail in front of other people. They fear being judged or criticized by others. It does not matter if it is a big or small risk. Other people seem to always have an opinion about what we are doing. I remember when I said I wanted to try sushi, people were telling me that I would not like raw fish. People were warning about the health dangers of eating raw fish. Despite other people's fears, I tried sushi anyway. I loved it.
Forget about what other people think. Your courage is all about you and what you think. Other people really have no idea about what is right for you. What other people think is merely their opinion--not a true fact. What other people say is always a reflection of the limiting thoughts and ideas that they have about themselves and their lives. They are merely projecting those ideas on to you. It is always up to you what you choose to accept these ideas or create unlimited ideas about your life. It is also up to your choice to create your own experiences instead of living through other people's experiences and limiting ideas. Challenge yourself not to let other people's limiting ideas get to you and kill your courage.
Courage can help us expand and grow if we let it. We must learn to realize that we are already courageous on many levels. We are doing powerful, courageous acts all the time. Look at the little ways that you have moved away from the easy and familiar routines in your life. Celebrate these small feats of courage! Realize that small acts of courage add up to even bigger acts over time. Challenge yourself to keep adding new experiences in your life. Keep expanding your courage.
Copyright©2007 Jeannine Robinson All Rights Reserved