On Courage

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

Courage has been hailed throughout the ages as one of the most important traits one can possess. It is evident that any gain is proportional to the risk you take; knowing your limits and exceeding them is the recipe for personal growth and fulfillment.

Courage is not the absence of fear; it lies in taking action despite being scared to death. It is grace under pressure and deciding that something is more important to you than fear, backed by the belief that there is no failure, only feedback. It relies on a healthy self-esteem, which is paradoxically the byproduct of being confidently courageous. As Napoléon Bonaparte puts it: "Courage isn't having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have strength."

Courage is not some mystical power that you either possess or don't; it is a mental, emotional, and physical state—one of the many states you can be in at any given moment. Like any other state, it is the result of your thoughts and actions. Knowing how to control and direct your thoughts and actions can change the outcome at will.

A state, any state, is not permanent and can be lessened or accentuated either by the thoughts we entertain or by the actions we take. Controlling your thoughts is not as easy as it sounds, but it becomes easier when you know how to do it. Your thoughts are triggered by what you focus on; change that, and you change what you think about. When facing adversity, if you focus on what could go wrong, you will inevitably generate apprehension and fear. However, if you change your focus to asking yourself, "How can I surmount this?" your mind will work on an answer, generating a different state.

Taking action is another sure way to change your state: inaction breeds doubt and fear, while action changes your physiology and emotional chemistry. It also engages your attention and focus on getting things done, thus changing your state into a more appropriate one to handle the situation at hand.

I am not referring here to outward physical courage, like that of people who dare to die for their convictions, but rather to inward moral courage, which makes people dare to live. It lies in knowing what not to fear, leading to a life of freedom from the judgment of others. It also means being able to say "no" without having to explain yourself.

Have the courage to admit when you are wrong, to apologize, and to do something about it. When you have courage, you will honor and stand up for your values, which is the prime characteristic of a leader. Have the courage to set your boundaries, walk out of a toxic relationship, dare to fall in love, quit a dead-end job, or start your own business. Have the courage to forgive others and, most importantly, yourself. Your happiness depends on it, doesn't it?