Courage
By Silver Rose
Courage –
The Key that Unlocks Empowerment
As a student of human nature, I continually search for the qualities that separate those who are vibrant, alive and excited by life from those who seem to be slowly marking time until retirement and/or death.
My observations have led me to believe that passionate people not only greet the challenges and inevitable changes of life, but incorporate them, and make them work. On the other side of the spectrum are those who resist change with every fiber of their being. When they let go of the old, it has claw marks on it.
It is the age-old battle between courage and fear. And most of us have experienced both sides, depending upon which area of life we are engaged in at the moment.
For example, some people are incredibly creative and courageous when it comes to sports, hobbies or crafts but, when at work, they are afraid to try new things. Others (and I fall into this category) are big risk-takers in our work but reluctant to try sports, hobbies or crafts. Whenever you are afraid to try something new, it’s usually because you fear you’ll fail at it. Worse, what if you make a fool of yourself?
Ironically, when we fight change because of fear, we cling to the past because we think it will keep us safe. In reality, our fear produces anxiety and causes us to cower and withdraw. It also prevents us from discovering new things about our capabilities that could be delightfully surprising.
Courage, on the other hand, produces precisely the results we hope to gain by resisting change. Courage gives us power and confidence.
In his remarkable book, Power vs. Force, David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. identifies Courage as “the critical line that distinguishes the positive and negative influences of life.” He continues, “Courage implies the willingness to try new things and deal with the changes and challenges of life. This is the zone of exploration, accomplishment, fortitude, and determination.” This, by the way, is the area in which most small children reside.
When we combine Courage with the Law of Attraction, life spirals upward and begins to taste truly delicious. Because Courage results in empowerment, the more courageous we are, the more things we attract that empower us. At this level, life begins to get much easier. At the level of Courage, we experience true Power. At the level of Fear, everything requires Force. Power makes things easy; Force makes them difficult.
Years ago, I took a workshop called BestWork in which we explored levels of competence in various domains of life – career, family, physical, intellectual, etc. One of the best outcomes of that workshop for me was that I finally understood that I do not need to be great at everything and that it would be impossible (not to mention exhausting) to be so.
Now that I understand Law of Attraction, I can see that becoming a Master in any domain requires focus. The more focus, the quicker the Mastery. Pursuing Mastery also takes Courage. For one thing, it requires that we give up other things. Comedian Steven Wright says, “You can’t have it all. Where would you put it?” How true that is.
Most people don’t even recognize their own Courage. If you’re good at anything – playing a musical instrument, fixing things around the house, putting together parties, creating beautiful and articulate reports, typing, etc. – it’s because at some point you had the Courage to try it. Now it’s become something you take for granted but it’s a skill or talent that started with Courage. That’s how they all start and that’s why many of us never get beyond the skills we developed as children. Children are not afraid to try new things. As a result, they often become quite skilled at them.
If we could approach changes at work and in life with the Courage of small children, we’d find that life has infinite possibilities – and that we each have wonderful talents, skills, and capabilities to uncover.
In retrospect, if toddlers approached things with the fear of many adults, the first time they tried to walk and fell down would be the last step they ever took.
If not for the natural Courage of children, we’d still be walking around on all fours!!!
