All Things Inspired

Fear causes pain, yet pain nourishes courage!

Courage is not the absence of fear, but knowing that you can triumph over it. You see, pain nourishes courage. You must welcome the pain and discomfort that comes in life, knowing that you cannot be brave and courageous if you have only had wonderful things happen to you! Courage is often enacted when people are pushed to the limits of their comfort zone but realize that they must have determination to continue forward. It is in knowing that if they do not vanquish their fear, then fear becomes the barrier that separates them from their happiness.

You probably noticed our associated picture with this article is the Lion from the Wizard of Oz. We'll use this lion as our symbolism for a source of courage, as a lion has always been symbolic of courage. Ok, maybe not this lion, but lions in general. If you recall the movie, when Dorothy and her little dog Toto first encountered the lion, she slapped him for trying to bite Toto. Then she called him a great big coward. The lion admitted that he was indeed a coward and was unhappy about it. When finding out they were off to see the wizard, he asked to join them, along with the scarecrow and tin man.

When at last they met the wizard and the lion was given the opportunity to tell his story, the wizard told him that he was a victim of disorganized thinking. In other words, there is nothing or no one who isn't afraid when facing danger. And this is quite true as courage is in fact facing danger when you are afraid. The lion simply needed a reinforcement of confidence. That came from the wizard declaring the lion a member of the "Legion of Courage" and awarded him a metal saying such.

You see, the wizard didn't give the lion anything he didn't already have! He just gave him a vote of confidence to draw him away from his cowardice feelings. Courage is in everyone of us and is only demonstrated through action when you face danger or uncomfortable situations. It is not something superficial that a wizard can grant you.

Everyday courage is all about facing fears. Feeling the pressures of stepping outside of your comfort zone, even when it is ever so difficult, means acting on your values to guide your path to nobility. There are several types of courage such as social or relational courage, resilient courage, and courage of personal growth and self mastery. While social and resiliency courage are important where taking a stand or facing continued setbacks are concerned, let's breakdown courage related to personal growth since that is the mission of our blog, to inspire transformational growth. Let's take a look...

First is being authentic - you must depend on your values and beliefs of who you are and what you stand for.
Goal oriented - you courage is in your commitment to be steadfast in achieving your goals.
Accountability - holding yourself accountable takes courage when the path of least resistance may take you away from responsibility.
Self challenge - it takes courage to change a difficult situation, or one of comfort. But sustaining courage challenges the honesty you receive from others as well as your own self reflection.
Facing the fear - you have the courage; you always have had it. Now you're faced with the next test. Are you reading to put courage into action and face it?

We see hundreds of stories of courage all around us. I'd like to reference a few extraordinary examples here, knowing that this only scratches the surface of heroism.

One of the most heroic stories comes from the story of 911 and the Twin Towers. While many lives were lost, many were saved by the heroic efforts from the men and women of the New York City Fire and Police departments. While people were fleeing the burning buildings, these public servants were rushing into the buildings without hesitation. How many of these dedicated men and women most likely realized that they may not come out alive, yet through courage, they faced that fear and met the challenge. Everyday across the world, the men and women of these departments, without analysis of what might happen, risk their lives because they found the courage to act.
Remember the flight in 2009 in New York City where bird strikes took out both engines of a commercial flight shortly after take off. While safety resolution models suggested a course of action for the plane to land at a nearby runway, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, "Sully", calmly and bravely determined that their best chance was to land the plane in the Hudson River. By defying those models, his courage saved all 155 lives onboard that day. The later investigation of the crash determined that they would not have made the alternate runway and would have crashed into a populated area most likely killing all on board in addition to numerous others on the ground. Sully was an ordinary guy who's calmness in the face of danger accentuated his courage.
Another remarkable story comes from World War II, when private and combat medic Desmond Doss was credited with saving approximately 75 wounded soldier on Hacksaw Ridge in Okinawa, Japan. Others have saved lives in this war, but what was unique about this man was that he was a conscientious objector who refused to handle a weapon. After much ridicule, harassment, and an attempt to court-martial him, his courage lead to the rescue of numerous wounded men under attack in this battle after his unit had retreated down the ridge. When it was almost certain that he would become the next victim, he continued to pray out load to just let him same one more. In 2016, a movie was made about his story. If you have not seen this movie, Hacksaw Ridge is a must see to witness these heroics.
Not on as grandiose a scale, but none the less heroic, this past December during the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Sydney, Australia, two active shooters were firing on a crowd at this beach when local fruit retailer, Ahmed al Ahmed, concealed himself behind a car until an opportunity arrived for him to charge one of the gunmen, disarming him after a brief scuffle. As he was taking the gun away from the shooter, the second shooter shot Ahmed several times. He survived the attack and was able to put an end to the incident and saved countless lives. The seemingly sensible thing for anyone in this situation to do, was to run for their life. But Ahmed saw it differently, and without concern for his own safety, found the courage to act.

While you may not face challenges of this magnitude in your lifetime, there will be opportunities for you to put into practice the courage that is within you. This could be saying no to bad habits that deteriorate your growth. Maybe you need to stand up to something or someone that is doing you an injustice. Perhaps you need courage to sustain your integrity. Doing the right thing isn't always easy.

Success, personal growth, and living an authentically good life can happen for you. You must be willing to face that fear, take action, and trust that you have the courage to realize all the things you want in life. And, just like the cowardly lion, courage isn't something that someone else must give to you, you already have it! You see, it really does all come down to courage! Well that, and you must...

Be inspired! Inspire others!