Courage is one of those topics where it seems all the reading in the world becomes useless the moment you are face to face with a terrifying event.
We have all heard how courage is not the “absence of fear” but the “will to move forward in spite of your fear”. But have you ever wondered how you might improve your courage or prepare for such an event in advance?
Some people are predisposed toward courageous acts, while others become trapped and even frozen in their fear. There are several reasons for this, but the main reason is so simple it becomes easily overlooked or bypassed as important.
I will show you a way to easily become more courageous, and also build a courageous team and family. It’s easy, it’s fun, and you can definitely do this!
Have you ever given careful thought to words derived from the word “courage”? Let’s take a look at two powerful words, one negative, and one positive, and see how they might affect us over time.
As we might expect, the negative “derivative” of courage will diminish courage. It can diminish your courage, and if used by you upon another it can damage their courage as well. The word we are speaking of here is “discourage”.
The word means – “to cause to lose courage, confidence or enthusiasm”.
In effect, when you say something that is discouraging to another, or even in “self talk”, you are causing the “loss” of courage. As we travel through this journey we call “life” we are all exposed to some level of discouragement, and some much more than others. Those who live a lifetime listening to and repeating discouraging remarks can actually reach a point where courage is so distant that they become frozen when confronted by fear.
Being “frozen” is an extreme reaction, and most of us can manage to act a bit more decisively than that, but it shows how much damage we can inflict through discouragement over time. The sad thing is that most people do this to both themselves and the ones they care for most.
Have you ever set out to accomplish something you hoped would be special but it ended up disappointing someone you cared about? What words did you tell yourself at the moment you discovered you had disappointed them? Many would silently say something like, “you stupid… you should have known better”… or the like. Over time, we either become afraid to try or we diminish the effort we give in trying to please another, due to the years of discouraging remarks we have stored in our subconscious mind.
The other side of the equation is “encouragement”, which is defined as, “to give courage, confidence, or enthusiasm to another”.
Wow! Do you get it! I hope a light just came on so bright that it never fades. We can actually “give” courage to another little by little throughout their lives by “encouraging them. This is very powerful and must not be taken lightly. We build or diminish courage in our “team” and or family through these simple and frequently used and abused methods.
To be doubly powerful, encouragement should be the foundation of all communication and discouragement altogether avoided… unless of course you are purposely trying to cause someone harm. (Not recommended)
Try this. Start your next day finding new ways to “encourage” others, and begin to be self-conscious of any “discouraging” remarks to remove them from your vocabulary and life.
It is important to begin with yourself and the way you speak to “you”. If you are already discouraged, then it becomes almost impossible to help someone else, but all is not lost.
Begin by writing five positive statements to yourself and repeat them out loud five times, three times a day, for three weeks
It is important to write the statements “positively”, like, “I will exercise strong character in all my decisions”, rather than, “I will not think negatively”. The very inclusion of the word “not” cancels out much of the value of the statement. When we are going “to do” something, let’s just say what it is we will do.
Remember the very wise words of Yoda, “Do, or do not, there is no try”. The power is in the “do”. The “do not” is doomed to fail.
May a life of powerful action and courage bless you all!