When was the last time you did something you were afraid of?
Fear is a feeling that often gets a bad rap, but the truth is, without it, we would have been eaten by a sabre tooth tiger many ancestors ago. While the threat to our physical survival is no longer something we face on a daily basis, our culture thrives on creating fear, which often stops us in our tracks. The challenge in today’s modern world is to decide whether the fear we feel is serving us or holding us back.
One of the solutions to overcoming fear is to develop courage. Being courageous means that you are mentally and emotionally prepared to deal with difficult, challenging and sometimes even seemingly impossible circumstances. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the ability to confront the fear, danger, intimidation, pain, uncertainty or any other threats that may arise.
Now, of course having courage doesn’t mean that we pretend fear is all in our head and bad things don’t happen. Being courageous is about choosing to be vulnerable and lay it all on the line for something greater than our pride. It means to risk failure and rejection in order to pursue our greatest dreams, aspirations and goals to create a more meaningful and truthful live.
Contrary to what most people believe, courage is not a quality that you are born with. It is a quality that can be cultivated. So what can you do to develop courage? Here are our TOP 7 STEPS towards courage that will get you started.
#1 Find Out What You Really Want
Start where you are and identify any area in your life, in which you are not satisfied or unhappy. What do you need to do differently in order to achieve a deep sense of satisfaction and purpose? And don’t get stuck on external stuff like ‘I want a big car’, ‘I want a great career’, ‘I want that perfect partner in my life’. Instead, focus on the feelings that these things would give you. Why do you want these things? It is important to get really clear about what it is that you really want in your life, in your career, health and relationships. Write down a specific goal, make sure it inspires you – even if it scares you – and dare to dream big!
#2 Identify Your Fears
Fear in general is not a bad thing. It is a warning sign that we need in order to protect our livelihood, whether that’s physical or mental. But it’s important to understand whether or not the fear is actually serving you and protect you from real threats, or if the fear is something that keeps growing in your mind and is holding you back and keeping you stuck. Ask yourself: What is it that you are afraid of? What might happen if you start to take action in the direction of your dream? Identify your fear. Maybe you are afraid that you will be rejected or that you’ll be humiliated or that you will go bankrupt… Identify your fear and own it. Don’t let the fear own you. The only way to conquer your fears is to look them straight into the eye and then take action despite their presence.
#3 Identify the Cost of Inaction
Many people seem to forget that inaction can come at a huge price. We tell ourselves that life is great even though we are unhappy and feel stuck in life. Just the act of acknowledging the fact that we are unhappy is an act of courage. Don’t let fear cost you your life. Write down how you will feel if you don’t do anything. Rise above your fears and into action toward whatever it is that your heart desires.
#4 Break Your Dream Into Smaller Goals
Don’t look at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, just see the first step. When there is a huge gap from where you are right now and where you ultimately want to be, don’t think about everything that you need to do to bridge that gap right now. Think about the first step that will get you closer to the top. It’s important that you move into action and go in the direction you want to head. Identify ten things you can do in the next week that will bring you closer to your dream and repeat it weekly. Take it step by step and eventually you will be on top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
#5 Be Accountable
Not just to yourself, enlist a support team. Make sure you have people in your life who are committed to you and are willing to let you know when you slip off your path and get on your case to get back on. Find at least one person that will hold you accountable for the ten things you wrote down in #4 and set up weekly check-ins that will help you to stay on track.
#6 Surround Yourself With People Who ‘Dream Big’
We’ve all heard it before, you are like the five people closest to you. So if you want to achieve a bigger life, you need to surround yourself with people who dream big and think big and will encourage you to do the same. Look at the people you surround yourself with right now and if there are people who don’t support you and even discourage your actions and step on your dream, get rid off them. While it could be that they are just afraid that you will leave them behind when you live big, stay away from people who fuel your self-doubt and anxiety. Don’t let anyone ever diminish you or your dreams.
#7 Train Your Courage Daily
Courage is like a psychological muscle. The more you work on it, the stronger it gets. It works the other way around, too. Every time you choose to take action in the presence of fear, you dilute the power of the fear and amplify your own. Let’s face it, creating change in life is a huge job and it takes a lot of energy up front to build momentum that propels you forward. Don’t focus on immediate results but the fact that you are in action every day, doing things that are out of your comfort zone, but move you in the direction of your dreams, goals and aspirations. Set yourself up for success. It starts with a single act of courage. Followed by another. Followed by another and another. Once you start taking action, you will soon realize that you are capable of more than you gave yourself credit for. You just need to start and then do it daily.
These seven steps will help you train your courage. When we work on strengthening our courage, we empower ourselves with the ability to confront challenges head on and acquire the skills needed to deal with life’s inevitable challenges.
Developing courage is yet another way to take responsibility for your state of mind and your well-being.
Did you show courage today?
Joschi & Monika
BoldNaked.com