3 Pillars of Courage
Fight For Yourself
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“ Ok everyone, let’s begin our presentations. We have been working on them for weeks, let’s see what you got!” The teacher excitedly exclaimed. Through the commotion of everyone pulling out their things, you can’t help but feel the beating in your chest, as the rushing river in your veins turns into a roller coaster. “ Please stand in the front of the class to do your presentation.” The teacher announced once more. Your classmates go up one by one, each taking more time than everyone thought as you calculate who will be up next, when it will be your turn, and how much longer until you’re saved by the bell. Let’s face it, that bell would be your Superman at this point. You don’t want to get up there, You don’t want to face the class, and you certainly don’t care about this project simply because of all of the above. The next student steps up to the front, you’re up next, and all you’re thinking about is why. “ Why do I have to do this? A lot of what I have to say is controversial, why am I so afraid of what others think of me?” It all boils down to one simple remedy, Courage.
Willingness to Take Risks
The choices that we tend to wrestle with are the ones that lead us out of our comfort zones. The idea of sailing through uncharted territory frightens some down to the very core of their being. It always leads to a very famous question that we ask ourselves daily. “ What if?” What if it doesn’t work out? What if I fail? What if I lose? What if I look bad? “What if I get fired?” We plague it with the negatives because we always associate the negative with distress, and unwanted outcomes. Having courage is to face the what-ifs and drown it out with the opposite. “ What if I succeed? “What if I win?” “ What if I look good?” “What if I get promoted?” Being able to step up and fight for yourself, fight for your thoughts, and your dreams takes a deep willingness to accept the risk of none of it going the way you wanted. At that point, it is up to you what you do next with that outcome, but as the great Marcus Aurelius once said “ The impediment to action advances action, what stands in the way becomes the way.” In other words, the negative is the path to success if you allow it to be.
There was a moment in my life when I had to choose what to do next. Despite the degrees, volunteering, and internships, I was going nowhere. I was thinking about joining the US Coast Guard. I kept thinking about what I had to go through, the possibility of not being able to cut it through its tough and rigorous training. I was quite literally holding myself back from moving forward in my life. I woke up one morning told myself enough was enough, and took the leap of faith. It was indeed rigorous, and tough, but it led me to a height in my life I never thought I would ever see, and I couldn’t be more thankful for my willingness to accept the risk. Don’t postpone your choices due to fear. If you truly desire it, make the choice, and the rest will carry you to your destination, one way or another.
Perseverance and Resilience
When you peer into what the path looks like to get where you want to go, it is often frightening. “ That looks way too difficult, there is no way I can do that.” We often stop ourselves before we begin. Other times, you are well into the journey already and it starts to test your grit and mettle. Your mind screams and pleads to you “ Stop! I can’t do this anymore!” as it starts to play memories of your comfort in your head like watching a movie about your stagnation. One of the worst feelings to ever experience is the feeling of giving up when success is right around the corner. This also leads to a regret that follows you for the rest of your days. It’s not worth the pain and anguish that regret brings, which means you have only one option. Courage. Courage offers perseverance to keep moving forward, and resilience against the temptation to quit. There is not a single successful person on this planet who has not experienced this. Never let your screaming voice win, never give up on yourself. As it was always said throughout our society, if you want something fight for it. Persevere, and endure. When you finally reach the top of that mountain, you’ll look back and see for yourself what you have accomplished, and you’ll be a far better person for it.
I was close to the end of my university days. At the time, the university was trying hard to deny me graduation when they decided to tell me a month before graduation that I required one more class. One more class that had absolutely nothing to do with the degree. None, zilch, and nada. I was so burned out. I was tired of the ordeal, and playing along with this money scheme of theirs. It was either I do a whole other semester for just meaningless class, or never graduate. If I could paint a picture of how close I was to just not finishing, I registered for that class one day before the new semester began. “I made it this far, I won’t stop now.” That was my reasoning. I weighed in on what I was going to do, and I concluded that I wasn’t about to throw away years of effort simply because I was fed up. I took a deep breath, exhaled, and cracked on. I graduated with that degree with the pride of knowing that I didn’t give up and made the obstacle the way. Never Give Up.
Integrity & Moral Strength
I don’t have to tell you about the world we live in today. In all corners of the world, it seems that there is a huge disparity between morality and integrity and it is only getting worse. I have hope that there are still those of you out there who dare to hold this pillar a high regard in your life, and for yourself. Integrity is the courage to stand up for what is right, to admit to a fault instead of lying, and to hold yourself to a standard that your ancestors would expect of you. You lose a great deal of your soul when you don’t follow your standards, eventually leading to complete disrespect for yourself. Courage gives you the strength to make the right choices, regardless of what the outcome could bring. Never change yourself in front of a crowd just to simply appease it. Say your piece, with pride, state the reasons why, with pride, and if it turns out that you are wrong, admit the defeat, and begin again. In this world of chaos, you must be the beacon in the night. Others will show, only to eventually overwhelm the darkness.
Courage
It’s your turn now. You get up and eagerly make your way in front of the class. You look around, your chest is no longer pounding, you know what you have to do, you know what you have to say, and you are ready to stand by it all. You exhale, and the rest is history. The bell rings, and you walk out of that class a whole new person, a whole new version in just under an hour. Why? What changed? Were you not scared? Didn’t you just want to give up? No. You had courage. Not only did you have courage, but you took it by the hilt and made it into the weapon no one expected. You showed who you really are, what you’re made of, and what you’re all about. It sent a vibration through the school, down the roads, through the town, through the cities, and the world started to join. Without you knowing it, you created a contagion that will change the world forever, and it was all because you had courage. Take risks, persevere, and have integrity. Watch the world respond.
In a previous story, I wrote about discipline inspired by Ryan Holiday. This story was also inspired by one of his books called “Courage Is Calling.” I encourage everyone to take a read and let it inspire you to hold yourself true.
