Courage in Action

Today, we're taking a deeper dive into what courage means. Join me as I unpack a fuller meaning of courage and how it traditionally meant something far beyond how the word is typically used today.

I break down three ways we can approach and move through life: courage, avoidance and resignation, with courage being the higher calling. I outline how courage means more than facing external fears. Courage is also about embracing vulnerability and authenticity. It's a call to align actions with our essence, passions, values, and potential.

I explore the pitfalls of meeting life with avoidance or resignation, offering practical insights for you to avoid these ways of living and instead live courageously by forging a path aligned with authenticity and purpose.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:40

Hi, I'm Sylvia Flanagan and welcome to Kick Starts. In this episode I'm going to talk about courage, but the definition I use might be a bit different from the one you're used to hearing and using. Plus, I'm also going to talk about three different ways that we can approach life, with courage being the preferred one, of course. So first let's look at the word courage. We usually think of courage as having to do with facing danger of some sort, pushing back against something or pushing through something that we're scared of, but originally that's not what courage meant, and in fact it accomplished a lot more than that. The word courage comes from the Latin word cor C-O-R, which means heart. It's where the word cardiac also comes from, and it's also the root of the word core C-O-R-E, like an apple core, meaning the center of something, or, to flip it around, think of an artichoke heart, or getting to the heart of the matter. This is where the good stuff is, but it's way harder to get to in real life than in food or theory.

Speaker 1: 1:48

The original meaning of courage had to do with the heart, the core of who we are, and was far more encompassing than how the word courage is generally used today. It originally referred to revealing one's heart and, as Brené Brown points out, courage involves being vulnerable. Think of the idioms take heart or don't lose heart. These sayings speak directly to something far beyond just facing something outside of ourselves that we're scared of. The original definition and full definition of courage is more about integrity and having our actions partner with what's authentic and true about who we are, and that's not very easy. It's about making ourselves seen and seen ourselves as we live out our truth and our possibilities. Making ourselves visible by speaking our truth and becoming that truth by being transparent, putting ourselves out there and living alongside our core, our heart. Courage means living in alignment with our passions, values and potential to what ultimately defines us as a unique individual. It means we can't always play it safe and maybe we'll have to live with a bit of abandonment, but it tells every one of us that we matter, that we have something to offer and it carries with it responsibility, and all that together can be scary. So living courageously is definitely the higher calling and it's what life asks of all of us. But it's hard and if we're not careful we'll lose sight and we'll lose our way and we'll end up avoiding or resigning in the face of life's invitation.

Speaker 1: 3:37

Generally speaking, we avoid something because we're scared or we just don't want to do whatever it is that we're avoiding. But I'm referring to being scared here because I assume anyone listening to this podcast wants to do the heavy lifting and live courageously. Avoidance comes about when we know there's something we should do, but we don't think we can do it or we think we won't be good enough. We're just scared, but it gnaws at us, it eats away at us. So maybe we try and outstep it by distracting ourselves and throwing ourselves into something second rate, or maybe we numb ourselves with something that's going to hurt us or, at best, waste our time. For example, we can numb ourselves in a pretty benign way by mindlessly scrolling social media, or in more blatant and harmful ways, like addiction. We can avoid things big and small maybe not doing the thing we know that's right in a particular moment, not speaking up to someone about how we feel or what we need, not addressing a pattern of living or a habit that harms us, or setting boundaries to demonstrate that we matter. We might avoid by not addressing how we're living in general and what we're living for, and whether we're putting our abilities to good use and using the energy and motivation that comes from following our values, passion and interests. Or maybe we lie to ourselves and say it doesn't matter.

Speaker 1: 5:03

There are so many justifications that can get us to avoid living courageously, and I don't mean where we miss an opportunity here or there, because we're not robots, we're not perfect and we all stumble towards our potential, even when we're giving it our best. I'm referring to a pattern of avoidance that comes from patterns of thinking which are ultimately self-deception. Maybe you think you're going to disappoint someone because you haven't worked out who's responsible for who yet. Maybe you fear not being liked or being rejected. Maybe the fear of the unknown feels like it's too much, so you stay where it feels safe and familiar.

Speaker 1: 5:43

So many of us get caught up in comparing ourselves to others and get caught up in the myth of perfectionism, which ultimately just ends up being an excuse. But it almost sounds noble when we say it, and I'm not making light or poking fun at anyone, because this stuff is hard, it's real and none of us are immune to it. For some, perhaps you're just not clear about who you are to start with, and you just need to start at the beginning and get to know yourself a bit more and find out what lights you up, what calls you, and find out what you believe in. Perhaps you just feel overwhelmed at the thought of stepping onto a path that feels aligned with your strengths, limitations and passions that make you who you are. But many of us avoid that calling and don't take a courageous stance towards living.

Speaker 1: 6:34

If we avoid living vulnerably and courageously, we do more than behave in a certain way. We believe whatever the lie was that led us to avoid in the first place, and we might even end up living a lie. And that's the third way that someone can approach life in resignation. Someone who's resigned isn't considering the concept of courage because they don't think it applies to them. They've forgotten that they matter. They don't think that they have anything to offer. Every single one of us matters and we all have something valuable to offer Every single day. If nothing else, we have our smile to offer someone who might be having a terrible day or going through a really tough season in life and at the end of their day, your smile might be the only good thing that they remember. I've been that person who remembers a stranger's smile and I know how powerful it can be. I definitely hope that nobody listening is resigned when it comes to living.

Speaker 1: 7:33

Most of us teeter between courage and avoidance, and I also hope that, by defining courage in a more traditional and full way, that it motivates you to think about how you're moving through life and whether you're doing so authentically and vulnerably, fueled by your passions and uniqueness, because that's going to give rise to integrity and meaning, whether it's how you treat others in relationship, how you dialogue with yourself, what you prioritize, how you speak, what you say and how you live. I challenge you to think about how you're living and whether you're doing so openly, authentically, vulnerably and as fully as possible, while not beating yourself up about it. Courage is a challenge and an invitation. Living with courage asks you whether you're getting to your core, the heart of your matter. It's a scary open door challenging all of us to live as fully and honestly as possible, where we can thrive and others can witness all that we are and all that we've got to give.

Speaker 1: 8:40

You got this. If you liked this episode, please rate and review me and pass this podcast on to a friend. More ratings and reviews helps the show get found and it helps motivate me to make more. Also, I want to remind you of the Kickstart's text message option where you can sign up and get two short text messages from me each week to stay engaged with the week's episode. Of course, it's free and you can opt out easily at any time if you change your mind. Just text the word JOIN to 870-263-2121 or go to the show notes to get the number or the link to join. You all have a great week Until next time.