Courage is a good word, one we need to get out and dust off now and again to remind us that every word you write down is your assertion and insertion into a world of both thought and image that hasn’t existed until you wrote down that word. Yet simply writing down words isn’t in and of itself a courageous act; it only becomes so when the words and the order in which you’ve placed them aren’t borrowed from the vast steaming piles of clichés we always have ready at hand. – Brett Lott, Letters and Life
courage
From There to Here: Be Courageous
If you strike out on your own, if you decide to hit the trail, you’re going to be afraid at times. You know this because you know trails often are deserted and filled with things like bandits and wild animals. If you still decide to continue down that path – your first, courageous step – you’ll see belongings left along the trail and wonder what happened to the owners of said belongings. You’ll contemplate if you could be one of those owners, and you realize, yes, that could be you. You could leave everything, desert this path, and return to safety. You don’t for one reason and one reason alone: you know what the cost of desertion would be. Your body might be safe, but your heart and mind would always wonder “what if.”
You Will Never Be Ready
You will never be ready. You’ll never know enough. You’ll never think you know enough. You’ll never believe you’re adequate. You’ll never think you have the necessary skills or talents. You’ll never think you have what it – whatever “it” is – takes. You will never be ready.
How to Handle Fear: Jump into the Deep End
The usual saying when it comes to fear is to fight or flee it. A third option is available: jump deep into the thing that produces the fear. The option isn’t about fighting; it’s about recognizing that the fearful thing may be the one thing that one needs or wants to do.
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Consequences of Reaching the Next Level
Even though rock climbing scares me, I want to go back. I reached the next level, and I want to push myself more. I want to see if I can climb one of the other walls. It’s a consequence of reaching the next level. I get a rush of exhilaration whenever I accomplish something I thought I couldn’t.
How to Push Yourself to the Next Level
A few weeks ago, I went rock climbing. It’s an interesting choice because I have a slight fear of heights. I don’t volunteer to climb ladders. I don’t get excited by the idea of skydiving. No, I like to keep my feet on the ground.