Courage from Within

"Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it's the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 

'I will try again tomorrow.'"        

                                                                                         Mary Anne Radmacher

It does take courage to try again tomorrow. No matter your current family, work, social, or financial situation, there is stress, frustration, and disappointment in life. If these are the emotions that many of us face each day, then courage is exactly what we need in order to try again.

People get their courage from different places, their families, friends, careers, pets, community, work, past experiences, future plans, and more. Most of all courage comes from deep inside. From the place where there is no more indecision, no more worrying about what people think, no more making everyone happy. It comes from your core, your values, your beliefs about yourself, the world, and what's right. In this place, you are not afraid, you are only you.

"It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are."    e.e. cummings

One Word for 2017: Courage

In 2016 my one word was grace. As with most things, I spent a great deal of time researching its meaning and what others had written about this word. I decided it was a word I would strive toward in my interactions both personally and professionally. For the first few months of 2016, it remained a focus, and then life took over. My husband's new business, my daughters' sports and school schedules, grocery shopping, you know.

When choosing the one word that would guide me in 2017, I had many choices. I listed them and thought about each, but I kept coming back to courage. I started Googling images for some of the top choices. I came across a poster of a quote by Ernest Hemingway. It said, "Courage is grace under pressure." It felt like a sign. Courage was an extension of grace according to Hemingway, and who was I to argue? The decision was made.

Within a day or two of making my final choice, I had another sign. In searching through Susannah Conway's website for her 2016/2017 reflection and goal-setting workbook, I stumbled upon a blog post she had written a few years ago. It was an interview she had conducted with Brene Brown. The introduction described Brown as a researcher-storyteller and mentioned her work with vulnerability, shame, and courage. As soon as I saw the word again, I knew it was meant to be.

I ended up buying Brown's 2012 book, Daring Greatly. I've only just begun reading it, but the intended audience includes parents and educators who have the opportunity to help young people understand and defy our current culture of scarcity in which shame controls actions and vulnerability is seen as weakness. Brown argues that vulnerability takes courage and since it is the core of all emotion, being vulnerable makes life worth living.

I hope this year, I have the courage to be my vulnerable self.