Finding courage

Dear You,

People talk about finding courage.

But really, you’re not “finding courage.” You’re practicing courage, creating it as a daily and consistent practice of walking into the fire of your fear and emerging as a braver, even more courageous self.

Important: this is not just semantics!

When you walk with the mindset that you’re finding courage , this carries the implicit assumption that spades of courage are out there, outside of you, for you to find.

This very mindset keeps people on the self-help treadmill of trying to look for something outside themselves, and it buys right into the idea of being fearless (fearless is really the new perfectionism).

By contrast, when you are practicing courage, you’re present, attentive, and embodied. You’re looking at your life and asking yourself where you want to go, next, and what integrity requires, and what your heart’s longing is, and what fear is saying NOT to do. Then, you’re stepping into the heart of that, even though the fear is still there.

Finding courage is about something outside yourself.

Practicing courage is about going within.