4 Traits of the Courageous
A pursuit of bravery and courage is one that says, “I don’t want to lose out on life’s opportunities because I’m afraid.
By DAWN DAMON
Courage. It originally comes from the Latin word Cor meaning heart.
Living with courage is living with all your heart. It’s living out your dreams despite the presence of doubt and fear; willing to risk failure in order to be true to yourself and the authentic person God created you to be.
Author, Piers Anthony says this about courage:
“Being terrified but going ahead and doing what must be done—that’s courage. The one who feels no fear is a fool, and the one who lets fear rule him is a coward.”
God told Joshua to be courageous. This wasn’t just a pep talk from the Lord to bolster confidence. God was calling Joshua to shift his thinking from defeat to victory; to change the narrative in his mind from one of cowardice to bravery. In other words, God told Joshua, “Choose courage!”
That’s right. Courage is not just an emotion that comes to a select few. We can all choose courage despite the feelings of fear and timidity.
The key is in the shift
Many people have the habit of focusing on the negative side of any challenge or opportunity. They start an inner dialogue, telling themselves all the reasons why “this isn’t going to work.” Their focus is on what will go wrong and what they stand to lose. No wonder many are paralyzed from taking action to live out their dream.
But when we shift, we change our perspective from what we stand to lose to what we stand to gain. The shift is to focus on the outcome, the reward. Courage then, rises up within us. It is the result of right thinking. The courageous choice is made easier, when we tell ourselves the right story.
A pursuit of bravery and courage is one that says, “I don’t want to lose out on life’s opportunities because I’m afraid. I don’t want to be limited and live contained; rather I want to be an overcomer—living bold and courageous. I want to develop the skill of facing my fear, and experience the thrill of being triumphant not trumped.”
What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! – Cowardly Lion Wizard of Oz