TWO KEYS to being COURAGEOUS

TWO KEYS to being COURAGEOUS?

COURAGE. What immediately comes to mind when you hear the word courage? Most of us would probably think of a soldier endangering his/her life on the battlefield, police officers placing themselves in harm’s way or a firefighter running into a burning building to save someone?  These are certainly courageous acts, but I would argue that courage is not limited to these heroic deeds: to be courageous or not to be courageous is something you and I are faced with every day. Most of us would agree that courage is not found in the faint of heart, but is only in extraordinary people; extraordinary people who push themselves and constantly do and learn new things outside of their comfort-zone. We find great acts of courage in entrepreneurs, small business owners and any others who stretch themselves professionally to do nerve racking activates they have never done before.  The fact is that these extraordinary people can easy be people just like you and me –people who learn to recognize fear and yet push through it to accomplish something they never have before!

             You can’t be courageous if you don’t have fear. Frequently, I have seen a quote on Facebook stating something along the lines that, “where courage is, fear is absence.” This is such an ignorant claim rooted in a wish and not at all in reality!  A person simply cannot do anything extraordinary if there is no risk in what they are about to accomplish, and it is a rational sense of the risk which causes fear. Everyone has some level of fear. Fear and courage go hand in hand.  When we are faced with risk, and fear rises up in us, know that this is the moment when a person has to decide to be courageous or not. We should not fear fear but rather see our fears as signs guiding us in the direction we need to go. Everyone that is honest with themselves will have to acknowledge they have fear. However, it is what we do with our fear that will either cripple us in our growth or will cause us to increase and make us and the world better.

             Courage is really defined by what you do with fear.  Most people do what is easy, safe and comfortable moving away from their fear and risk to stay in their comfort zone rather than moving forward their fear courageously. It is important to note that people who have the greatest growth and success in life are the most courageous because to achieve their success they courageously overcame their fears. It would be a lie to say successful people don’t have fears and what they did with them that made them successful.

There are two keys to start with in order to be courageous. The first is knowing, acknowledging and owning ones fears, and second, take habitual action to overcome the obstacles that cause the fear. Grant Cardon, in his book, Sell or Be Sold says; whatever it is that you are afraid of you need to move towards it every day! According to Grant, personal growth happens when we move towards our fears to overcome them and accomplish something. Our fears only grow and debilitate us if we run away from them. But it is wisdom to acknowledge them and courage to move towards them and overcome them. To overcome fear is not easy at all, but know that anything good and significant in this life is NOT easy to get and keep. The best way to live a significant purpose filled life is to grow in personal development which is the only way to be a positive influence and inspiration in the lives of others, but the only way to do this is to move towards fear daily with courage to overcome them. 

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Are you courageous? When was the last time you accomplished something and thought, “I am courageous”? Courage is not strictly defined by placing yourself in harm’s way such as a soldier working under fire, or a fire-fighter entering a burning house. Rather courage is defined by doing our duty in spite of our fears so it involves a much larger spectrum of people –a group of people that can very likely include you and me if we want it too. Courageous people are people who are NOT letting their fear stop them but are rather constantly moving towards their fear. They make this a habit and the results are they are getting better and accomplishing new things so that they can increase their goals to do more new things. Do not fear fear. Love it and embrace it because it gives opportunity to be courageous in order to grow and lead inspirational and purpose filled lives.

Are You Living a Life of Significance?

Are You Living a Life of Significance? 

My heart bleeds when I see so many people NOT living a life that is fulfilling; A life that leaves behind a positive legacy when they pass on. Simply, there are many who are not living out their full potential; they are settling for less than what they can do and be. 

Therefore, let me ask you a question, what do these words mean to you: vision, dreams, purpose, success, achievement, legacy, passion, and significance? When was the last time you meditated on such words for your own life?  Personally, I never thought much about these words until recently when I made a commitment to achieve something in my life. At that point I was asked the question, what is your WHY?” That is to ask, “why are you doing what you are doing?

 Knowing your “Why” or purpose in life is super important if we want to live fulfilled lives. John Maxwell in his book Intentional Living explains, “Humans are made to have meaning. Without purpose, life is meaningless. A meaningless life is a life without hope or significance”(81). Simply, when we have a purpose, dream, goal that fills us with passion it empowers a person to live a life that will be significant, that will leave a legacy. Also a strong “WHY” makes our way – the things we are doing now – meaningful and gives clearer direction when we have to make decisions.

            Hopefully you see now a little the importance of knowing your “WHY” because when you know your “Why” it helps you make decisions, find your way, and gives you the motivation to achieve your desire! You may be asking a really good question now, how do I find my WHY? Ask yourself these questions says Maxwell:

1.      What do you cry about, what causes you distress that you long you could change? He gives a personal example saying, “my heart breaks when I see people falling short of who they could be” (93).

2.       The second question to ask: what makes you sing? What puts a bounce in your step and makes you joyful?

3.      And the last question, what do you dream about? What do you want the picture of your life to look like. What do you want us to remember you for when you are no longer around? What do you want to accomplish?  

           It is interesting, in a survey, elderly people near the end of their lives were asked if they had any regrets in their lives. They found the majority of elderly struggle with a feeling of not having lived a fulfilled life. They regretted greatly the things they did NOT do, rarely did any regret the things they did do.

            With that said, I challenge everyone to stretch, to grow, to go higher in life and become more, to maximize your potential, to do so you need to find your WHY your purpose and passion that is within your dreams and go for it. Here is some practical advice from Maxwell:

•  Take out a pen and paper and take some time to write out and search out answers to these three questions:   
• What do you cry about? 
• What do you sing about?  
• What do you dream about? 
•  Also,  select one word that describes you. In this way you can focus on the single word or gift. “What the individual focuses on expands” (Maxwell, 102).

Figuring out your WHY is a fun process. When you have your dream and your WHY it should fill you with passion, energy, purpose and confidence: especially PASSION!  

Make a difference, in the comments below by sharing with us what your WHY is today. Your ideas can really help others! 

Closing Quote: “Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for out having passed through it” (Rabbi Harold Kushner).

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Are You Dead or Alive? : The American Dream

 Dead or Alive? : The American Dream 

The American Dream is as vibrant today as it was in the 18^th and 19^th Century; what is not as vibrant today as back then is that a lot of people don’t dream and act on those dreams with an unshakable passion.

             In my experience, many people believe the American Dream is dead. They could not be more wrong! Such people just do not dream, or they dream but they don’t do anything to make that dream become a reality. A few big obstacles do not make the ability to pursue a dream unattainable, rather, obstacles make our dreams meaningful and valuable. To fulfill our dreams today, especially significant dreams – just like in our nation’s past – they require hard work, sweat, pain, sacrifice, overcoming fear, embracing failure, endurance, humility, anticipation, urgency, discomfort and service. Today, so many people just want their dreams handed to them or they think it should be easier. Since it is not easy, they give up on their dreams and ignorantly say that the American Dream is dead. In reality the only thing that is dead is themselves because they no long dream; they no longer have any reason to take advantage of the abundant opportunities that they come across to personally grow by in order to better their lives and the lives of others.   Eric Worre when coaching often says, in my own words, most people die by the time they are 30, but they keep on breathing for another 20, 30 or so years. When we dream and strive with passion to make those dreams reality, we grow, we influence and grow those around us, and we can even influence and grow the communities we live in, and you can only imagine how big that influence can become!  


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What is unheard of are big dreams, ridiculous dreams! The problem we face is that most young people have no clue how to dream properly. They may dream but within the confines of societies expectation that most are taught in school and family. How many young entrepreneurs do you know in high-school? How many young people do you know who are wildly passionate about some great social cause and have dedicated themselves to it through their life? Not many. Most say they need to go to college and to get a good paying job. This isn’t their dream, it is what they are told is their dream by society. Why is college the only option for so many people? Simple, we are taught to think that our future lays in a collage education to get a job working for someone else, fulfilling someone else’s dream. The reality is that our dreams should be our future, which for some may mean getting a college education.

Our culture needs a major shift in the way it thinks, and this change will only start with us individuals. My challenge for you to today is, don’t settle, don’t settle for average, don’t do what 90% of everyone else is doing cause that is all you will ever be. Rather realize your dream! This is the beginning of living an above average life. John Maxwell in his book Intentional Living challenges us to think about this question: “If you could do anything you wanted and knew you wouldn’t fail what would you do? If you could live out your wildest dream, what would that look like?” (99). Maxwell continues, “The process of allowing yourself to image great things is good for you. It helps you to understand who you are and why you’re here” (100). 


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DREAM, it is the pathway to discovering your passion in life and your WHY: why are you here on earth? What is your great purpose? If more people did this, they would realize that the American Dream is as vibrate today as it ever was in the past and the opportunities are abundant, just look!  STOP THINKING SMALL and STOP LIMITING yourself! 

Help us by letting us know what your dreams are in the comments below. They may help and inspire others!