Tag: Courage

Bravery v Courage

I would not describe myself as brave but there are times when I have found the courage to do something that scares me.

This prompted me to wonder if there is a difference between bravery and courage.

From what I learnt I think being brave means rising to a challenge fearlessly, whereas showing courage means rising to a challenge in the presence of fear.

Bravery is generally an innate character trait whereas courage is something we choose to exercise. 

Maybe it is worth considering that people whose bravery we have admired were not brave at all but instead they were adept at being courageous.

Here’s 3 ideas on how we might become more courageous:

1.      Start small – Courage doesn’t mean acting recklessly, do your research, prepare, take calculated risks. If you try something and it doesn’t work out, don’t see it as failure, see it as feedback and try again using a different approach.

2.      Find a partner in practicing being courageous – Whether it is going to the gym or studying or doing a project at work, having someone else to support us and hold us accountable definitely makes it more likely that we’ll persevere. 

3.      Shrink the fears – Instead of imagining the worst thing that might happen, why not imagine the best possible outcome? Courage has less to overcome if we can make the fear smaller.

What would you add to the list?

Feature Image Credit: Eric Combeau via Unsplash

Wallflower

I think this is a powerful although poignant poem. I share it now as thousands of students return to college or begin college. The last couple of years have been largely remote so whilst students are excited to get back to campus in whatever format that might be, I am sure there are many who are also feeling afraid.

In my opinion, fostering a sense of belonging is one of the best things we can do to help anyone fit into a new situation. If we feel like we belong, that we are part of a community, we are strengthened by the support of others. The key point is we all have a part to play in this.

To answer the question in the poem, no-one has the rule book, no-one knows all the right things to say, everyone can only be courageous and do their best to chat and be friendly. 

Don’t hold back and wither, don’t shrink into the corner, reach out, make a connection, be seen.  Belong.

Feature Image via Canva

9/11 Anniversary

Twenty years ago, I was living and working in England. On Tuesday 11th September 2001, I went home for lunch as I did most days and turned on the TV. Every channel was showing images of a plane crashing into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Centre in New York. I was completely in shock and couldn’t process what I was seeing.

When I went back to the office, my colleagues had heard the news. I don’t think any work was done that afternoon as we stared wide-eyed at the horrifying images. There was an air of panic and catastrophe although we were far away from the tragedy.

I had a really uneasy feeling. In the midst of my compassion, I was full of fear for myself. My boyfriend and I were due to start a world trip at the start of October and our first stop was America. I was already nervous about going travelling and hearing of this terrorist attack convinced me that we shouldn’t go.

Despite my fears, we arrived in the US on 3rd Oct 2001. Almost everywhere we went, the American people thanked us for visiting their country. US Flags adorned every building and T-shirts with commemorative messages were being sold on the streets and in the shops. America was already trying to bounce back from tragedy.

I was in awe of the bravery of so many people and felt silly about my own fears.

That world trip saw us visit America, French Polynesia, The Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand. It was definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life. Aside from the amazing sights and incredible people, I learnt a huge amount about different cultures, different perspectives and I learnt a lot about myself.

I almost missed it all.
Don’t let fear rule your life.

Feature Image Credit: Anthony Fomin via Unsplash