What does courage mean to you?

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Roxana Borcsa, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

What does it mean for you to be courageous?Do you see yourself as a courageous person?
Courage is something that everybody wants—an attribute of good character that makes us worthy of respect in our eyes and in the eyes of others.
Courage grows in the choices you make and in the actions you take every day. Courage comes from authenticity, it comes out only if you know who you are : When you’re willing to speak your truth, share an important perspective or observation, be candid when it matters or provocative when necessary, you’ll gradually push yourself outside your comfort zone and, over time, you’ll not only expand your courage but you`ll do it without thinking too much about it.

My entire life was in the shadow of fear because of the way I was raised; I was definitely not a bold person, more I can say that I was so shy that you can see it even in the black and white pictures from that time. So I cannot define myself as being a person with a lot of courage because I was not experiencing that in my upbringing, but more my timid attempts to do something slightly different were abruptly discarded for the wellbeing of the most fearful persons that were my parents..Yet it seems that I have done some interesting transformations in my life from time to time that can be called courageous so I think it is a matter of perception at the end, and a way of how you feel that.
How do you measure courage?
Courage is such an admired virtue in every culture, and courageous individuals have survived across time to become the heroes of subsequent generations. How courageous do you need to be in order to become a hero? Do you want or need to be a hero? For whom are you courageous: yourself, others? Is courage associated only with physical strengths or nowadays is a mental component to that? But let`s see what is courage, and what is it not?`` the ability to do something that frightens one; bravery``.

What are you able to do and others are afraid to? How does it make you feel? Do you acknowledge your courage?
Philosophers have pondered these questions since antiquity. But psychologists, who had a later start, have focused more on fear than on courage.

Different ways of courage:

Feeling Fear Yet Choosing to Act: The fear that accompanies physical courage relates to bodily injury or death. It is also possible for a fear of shame, or similar humiliations to spur physical courage, producing what is popularly called the “courage born of fear.” Although we are often afraid of something, we still have to act in spite of it, for example the fear of the dentist is not only common, but being myself a dentist for 20 years, I have seen it many times and I have tried to help patients to feel more comfortable even when they trembled with fear. The fact that they were already in the dental chair meant that they chose to act and that was the most important thing. From this starting point I did try different variants of “treating fear” depending on the personality of each. I can say that humor was winning in 90% of cases. Humor fights fear.
Following Your Heart: your passions are a fuel for your life and sooner or later you will want to have that in your life. It is scary to do what your heart tells you to do, to follow your passion especially if you live among people who have never done this and then you will not have the necessary support, moreover you will add to your fears and fears of those around you. It’s just that once you get to open this door of the heart it’s hard to go back and those who manage to overcome their fear will have the opportunity of another life.
Persevering in the Face of Adversity: Moral courage, too, may relate to fear of others’ adverse opinions. Looking foolish before colleagues or bosses, for example, is a common fear. But moral courage allows an individual to do what he or she believes is right, despite fear of the consequences.
Expanding Your Horizons; Letting Go of the Familiar: Every day, there are opportunities to be more courageous. Try a small test of the last few days: How often were you aware of something important that you needed to share with another person, but instead you stepped back and brushed it aside? Or perhaps you were upset by a certain situation, but rather than discussing it, you avoided the conversation. These are the everyday opportunities to choose courage over comfort, to lean into those moments that matter — and that so often create growth for others.

What Gets in the Way of Courage? Is it our comfort zone? Are you postponing the moment to be bold? Is living your life fully means that you are courageous?
The barriers to being more courageous are different for each of us, but here are some of the common things:
It didn’t seem so important.

It didn’t feel like it was the right time.

I didn’t want to offend.

It was not my place to say.

What will happen if I will be bolder? Do any of those resonate with you?
Design your own courage- exercises by revisiting a life goal that is gathering dust. Is fear holding you back? How might you break down this goal into smaller steps, with each step requiring a progressively greater amount of courage?

Bring your heart to Your Courage: When we bring heart into a courageous conversation, we create psychological safety. When we can link courage with heart, we make it easier to deliver our message and more likely to be heard and understood by others.
Bring Courage to Your Own Life: Set a new goal — something small yet important in your daily routines. Hold yourself accountable, ask for feedback and support from your family or coach or friends, and have compassion for yourself when you go off the rails.
Count Your Courageous moments and acknowledge your results: Spend the next ten days tracking small acts of courage, and notice the impact those moments created for you and others. Chances are, you’ll begin to notice what a difference a little more courage makes.