Be in Courage

Be in Courage

“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” ― Benjamin Mee, We Bought a Zoo

These days, true courage is in limited quantity and quality. People hide behind smartphones and social media, intentions, excuses, and perceived societal expectations.

Courage can’t exist without the presence of fear; therefore choosing courage is vital to your soul’s well-being. In choosing courage, you confront the fears preventing you from your fullest expression of aliveness. Without facing fear, you’re not only subject to experiencing a life of “what if’s” and likely, regrets, but also, life becomes defensive.

Instead of choosing what you truly want, you’re unconsciously choosing what may feel like it hurts the least. While that may work for you right now, long term, these life choices create more pain. Here’s an additional bit of wisdom: if you don’t actively take steps of courage, if you merely maintain the status quo, your soul entropically collapses.

Many married couples who come into therapy on the brink of collapse have merely been maintaining the status quo for years. They believed that was enough. But since culture, personalities, relationships, and consciousness is slowly increasing in scope and complexity, they wake up one day and what used to work now doesn’t. In doing the same song and dance for years both individually and together, they find themselves in peril.

So you may ask yourself, “How can I find more courage? What should I do?” 

Well, what’s my courage isn’t your courage. For some, courage is speaking their truth. For others, it’s holding the tongue and truly listening. For some it’s staying in the relationship and for others, it’s ending it. That said, courage is not as hard to find.

Being in courage exists in every moment. If you take a few minutes to tune in to yourself and your present moment, your soul is always nudging you. There’s always a choice that isn’t comfortable, but it’s most true. So ask yourself this: what’s the most emotionally vulnerable thing I could do today? Perhaps you could do it in the next hour. Perhaps right now. Think about it. Do you feel your heart beating louder? This is courage, your inner-knowing coursing through you. Again it’s, “what’s the most emotionally vulnerable thing I could do today?”

True, being in courage takes a little more effort. It could hurt. It’s vulnerable. It’s…you.

“Hello, soul!”

Perhaps the path of courage feels more uncertain, messy, and less defined, but here’s the key: the courageous choice aligns with your identity. Regardless of outcome I guarantee your heart, often sheathed by intentions, excuses, and perceived societal expectations, will thank you. And if you’ve taken this step of courageous faith, you already know how this works: the universe, life, or God then unfolds a treasure hunt of new circumstances for you to endeavor. The scenery of your life changes and your soul expands to the journey it was more meant to partake.

Here’s a corollary—

If you’re struggling with taking that step of courage even though it’s aligning with your truest you, I want you to try something on. Human beings always act from what they know to be most true about themselves. If you believe you’re an athlete, despite soreness, you exercise; if you believe you’re resilient, when others would give up, you figure out another way; if you believe you’re a dolphin, you’re gonna dorsal your way across the ocean asap.

To build courage, start with your identity: believe that you’re already complete, whole, full, and lacking nothing. Imagine you’re not subject to anyone else’s thoughts, judgments, and worries. Feel free. Like Free Willy, find your porpoise (see, who cares about professional blog expectations?!). Through your nose, breathe in deep and say: “I am complete.” “I am whole.” “I am full.” “I am lacking nothing.”

Your breath-to-truth resets your nervous system. And if your breath pauses a little while speaking these truths, that’s good! That means something is working. Keep breathing in your new identity until feeling free and your breath is aligned together. As you’re free, courageous acts feel less like courage and more like an extension of self.

Yes, courage is merely an expression of your wholeness. Now, imagine from your full, whole, abundant identity that everything has worked out however it’s supposed to work out. Again, notice your breath. If it pauses, merely breathe in your new reality through your nose until your reality and breathing is again in alignment. The more you breathe in and out your new identity and feelings, you’ll become so attuned to this new reality that “being in courage” is actually your natural self-expression.

This is your time: be in courage.