Where Does Courage Live?

Courage is something that people talk about but they don't necessarily know when they're doing it. And the reason for that is because in that moment, the one requiring courage, they aren't aware that they need to exhibit it; rather, they're busy being courageous.

Every day living requires great courage; after all, we chose to be here in the first place - the first act of unsung heroism. We're the lucky ones, as we work out the lessons of Earth School. Our corporeal form that is the physical expression of divine cosmic energy helps us to take quantum leaps in our spiritual evolution. Here is where we are most tested for our ability to have resilience and take action in the face of sometimes daunting odds to experience and have more of what we want in our lives. And that means taking a deep breath and going beyond our comfort zone if we're doing it right.

So what are some of the greatest acts of bravery that occur regularly that we overlook in their commonality?  Maybe you'll recognize yourself (and the people around you) in the following five heroic, audacious and maybe even flagrant acts of everyday courage.

Saying What Needs To Be Said
By voicing the truth, even when you don't know what the response will be OR if you know it will be challenging, you are being the hero of the other person to help them learn and grow and, at the very least, you are honoring your spirit by giving it voice. Sometimes it seems easier to hold back, to not say something this time, to wish that they would just "get" it. But, in actuality, this kind of thinking is full-on sabotage. You're not showing up authentically, which doesn't allow them to be authentic with you. If you're waiting to say something that needs to be said, you're actually hurting your relationship and your own self-worth in that relationship.
This, by the by, goes hand-in-hand with authentic listening, where you are allowing the fullness of communication to pass without mental comment as the other person is still talking. If you've formulated a response before they've finished, you're creating projections and assumptions and you're the one who is missing out on something. Give yourself, and the other person, the honor of sharing the robust truth as you know it in the moment by attending to their communication and saying what needs to be said.

Taking Action When You're Not Ready
When you don't feel ready to follow through on something, don't know how to do it, don't feel like you have the resources or support to get it done, it's not perfectly ready yet or you don't know that it will turn out the way you want with any degree of certainty and you do it anyway, you're operating from a different level of awareness. This happens for any number of reasons, like you feel you have no other option (the moving truck arrives tomorrow so you better be ready!), people are counting on you (to make a powerful presentation), or your bank account says it's time to generate some cash (and you magically find a way to make that happen). Whatever the motivator, whenever it is stronger than the resistance to change, you find yourself taking action and transcending obstacles, barriers and things that could keep you stuck somehow.  There are times when this means trying something again when you have to scrape yourself up to do it, knowing that the first time didn't go so well. Doing what you can in each moment with whatever you have to work with is an act of courage worthy of big merit (although that may not come from others, since you are the judge of how much courage is needed proportionate to the circumstances!).

Living From Your Passion
There are a lot of people talking about their passion, their purpose and their power in creating an amazing life someday, but how many people actually do it? Letting go of the familiar status quo to pursue a life based on what feels good to your heart and spirit is still not the 'norm'... taking risks is encouraged but not if they're too risky (people who love you will want to protect you and be risk-averse for you). By being a non-conformist, striking out on your own into the unknown (scary enough by itself) and doing it your way (which tends to be unpopular with groups), you are jeopardizing your status in your 'tribe'. If you risk it and don't make it, you could be abandoned or exiled, and if you do make it, you aren't likely to go back to where you were because you've outgrown it. Either way, living from your passion is one of the fastest paths to extreme personal development. You are certain to attract new relationships that are in vibrational accord with your new way of being, which, in turn, can kick off adventures that you can't even imagine that require courage on multiple levels.

Confronting Yourself
The inner journey is one that, to be done well, insists that you go deep, give up what feels routine and might upset the people in your known systems of support. By confronting the darkest parts of yourself, coming to grips with your gremlins and dancing with your shadow side, you are potentially seeking adversity with the goal of being whole in the end. People talk about as one door closes another opens, but nobody really talks about the long hallways in the middle... those corridors can test the mettle of even the most seemingly together person. By feeling the fear of what you might find within and staying in action, you are taking the most significant 'hero's' journey you could possibly undertake. But it's also one of the sources of greatest life achievement and contentment. To thine own self be true... and that includes all your parts.

Owning Your Life
You are the creator of your life experience, through and through. It would be nice to pick and choose what parts you created, wouldn't it? You could just pick the birthday parties, job promotions and fabulous weather days in that case... but, unfortunately, to really empower yourself to create what you want in your life, you've got to 'own' the adversity too. Not only do you have to have the nerve to get through tough situations in the first place, you've also got to claim that you created that in some way to help you get to your next best level. So you get to claim that colleague that pushes your buttons, or the neighbor who is extra loud, or your loved one who just doesn't give "it" (whatever that may be) a rest.  They are showing up for you, based on some energetic frequency that you are sending out asking them to be that for you, so you can get address and release whatever energy doesn't feel good in your world. By owning your power in creating even the things that don't seem so wonderful, by seeing the magic in all your creations, by demonstrating the courage to lay claim to creating all those parts which may not feel so good on the surface, you are empowering yourself to be all of who you are and to create what you want going forward.

Courage is made in the moments of life large and small... but here's the big secret to owning your life. Nobody has more power in your world than you do. And owning that could be the most courageous thing you could ever do for yourself.

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Exceptional Life Magazine: Courage Issue
Lynn Scheurell