Courage

You may not think of your journey toward physical and mental health, financial security, or mental and emotional well being as something that requires a whole lot of courage. After all, you're just shedding a few pounds, organizing your thoughts, and making a little more money, right?

Wrong.

The truth is that anything worth doing requires courage to do. We never accomplish great things in our comfort zones! For you that may mean having the courage to be vulnerable with someone as a coach and mentor, or having the courage to reach for that financial opportunity. For me, that courage has to come into play any time I hit a challenge. Like the Cowardly Lion, I frequently respond to the scary noises in the forest with a whimper and an attempt to run away. It's all too easy for me to give up and let my fear win.

One time I was invited to a movie night with a bunch of ladies I didn't know, in a stranger's house. After getting lost and then un-lost, I finally made it to the house only to be paralyzed by fear. I drove around the block six times before I could manage to park my car and go knock on the door. The whole time I was driving around the block, I was trying to think of all the reasons I had for not going in! What finally got me to use my courage was the realization that I didn't have a good enough reason to turn around and go home.

Courage isn't about not being afraid. In fact, the dictionary defines courage as "the ability to do something that frightens [you]." We don't need courage when we're not afraid. It's when the forest is dark, and the sounds are unfamiliar, and something in you just knows there's a wicked witch hiding behind a tree somewhere, that you need your courage the most.

Courage and faith go hand in hand. As I press in to my relationship with God and strengthen my faith, I find it easier to have courage in the face of my fears. This isn't really a surprise, since the bible is stuffed with stories about people that God had to remind to be courageous.

So how does this apply to your health journey? A lot of that depends on you. What are you afraid of, and are those fears holding you back? Have you decided not to exercise because you're afraid of looking funny in front of other people? Have you been ignoring a financial opportunity because there's risk involved? Have you been holding back from God because you're afraid he might send you to Africa?

We have all sorts of reasons for being afraid and staying where we are. Some of them are valid, but most of them are just excuses that we need to apply some courage to. Figure out where fear is holding you back in your journey. Then, sit down with a mentor you can trust and find out whether you should be pressing forward or taking the more cautious route. If your mentor says that you need to move forward, grab your courage and start walking!