Practice Courage

Practice Courage

This past weekend, friends of ours invited us to their annual Christmas party. It was quite charming and wonderful (thank you Amy and Andy). As I was walking to the kitchen, I noticed a sign they had placed on a counter which really got me thinking. The sign said, “What if we practiced courage every single day?” As the leader of the Tribe of Up and with our mission statement to advocate for more joy in this world, I found this phrase, like the party, charming and wonderful. I would invite you now to have a think about this concept with me for a few moments.

What if we practiced courage every single day? The first thought that rolled around my mind as I pondered that question were the 5 w’s and the big H. Who, what, where, when, why, and how. Who should we practice courage with (or on)? When and where can be easy to recall. What would courage look like? Why should we do it and how? Courage is defined by Merriam-Webster as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” After looking up the definition, I suddenly realized that this little think was quickly turning into a rather big think. Let me ask you these questions.

When have you faced mental or moral danger, fear, or difficulty? Can you recall an instance? A memory? A place or a face? What were the circumstances? Ultimately, how did you handle it? Hindsight is always a powerful voice so let me further ask, with the benefit of hindsight, would you change how you dealt with the situation in your mind? Many examples come to mind, and I know if given a chance, many of my choices would be different. However, here in the Tribe of Up, we don’t dwell on past stumbles. We offer a hand, dust people off and help them get back on their way to advocate for more joy.

Courage isn’t easy. It is hard sometimes. Sometimes, when courage is needed the most, it is the hardest thing of all to summon. I have asked you before to think about past moments where courage was needed. How about this? When did you call on courage and it was there for you? When did you do the right thing with courage and grace? Can you think of an instance like that? It seems we are programmed to remember failings than successes more easily. I suppose that dates to our primal ancestors when our DNA was more malleable than it seems to be now. It may be hard to change, but it is never impossible.

My friends, it is not too late.

Courage is possible. Courage takes work. Sometimes, it takes patience. Sometimes, incredible patience. Courage takes grace and courage takes fortitude. If you are reading this, then you are in our little Tribe of Up. There is safety in numbers. Let us offer to help each other in this endeavor. When it gets hard, and it will get hard, to whom can you reach out? Loved ones and friends can often have courage for many people. If you think courage is hard, there are four little words that need the most courage of all. If you can reach out to a loved one, friend, or acquaintance with these four words, then you, my friends, are courageous indeed. Those four words are:

Can you help me?

Sometimes being courageous means asking for help when we do not know how to be courageous. I know that may not seem to make sense, but believe me, a single courageous step can begin a journey down an entirely new and wonderful path. Dare to be courageous. Practice courage. When you fall short, practice again and do not quit. Think how much more joy we all could advocate for if we had a few more ounces of courage in our emotional bank account to share. Overcoming fears (like authoring a weekly article for the local paper) took the help of many people to offer me their courage when mine was low. To pay it forward, let me know how I can help. I choose to advocate for more joy. I choose to practice courage. Let’s get in there and help some people do the same!

Steve Gwisdalla is a Dexter resident and Owner, Chief Courage Officer, Head Joy Advocate and Santa’s Vice President of the Elf Helpers at Better Place Consulting. Reach out to him at steve@betterplacemgmt.com.