Live Courageously Each Day

What does it mean to live courageously each day? I guarantee that you will get a different definition of this with each person you ask. For some, it may be waking up each morning and pressing on in spite of all the tragedy that has occurred in their lives. For others it may be choosing to get up despite of all of their failures. Some also courageously choose to do something each day to move them closer to their dream. There is no limit to what people define as courageous living.

We have all heard incredible stories of ordinary people choosing to live courageously regardless of their circumstances, and making it through life. What these people have in common is that they did not allow fear to paralyze them. Fear can be a very crippling emotion. We all experience fear, but some allow their fears to hold them back while others choose to press on despite these feelings.

Fear isn’t all bad. It sometimes alerts us to physical danger, and prompts us to protect ourselves. This isn’t the fear that I am talking about. The fear I am talking about is the one that prevents us from doing things because we are afraid of the outcome.

When we allow fear to take hold of our lives, it stunts our potential. There are countless people who reach the end of their life and wish they could go back to make some changes. They have feelings of regret because there was something they wished they had done, but never gathered the courage to do it because they were afraid of the outcome.

To me, living courageously each day means taking a look at my fears and my insecurities and taking little steps to counter them. I have made the choice to look at my circumstances and challenges, not through the lens of my fears, but by relying on the truth of my life and choosing to allow that truth to change my world for that day.

Spend about half an hour alone, in a quiet place and try to think about all your fears and insecurities. You may or may not list all of these in the half hour period, but it is a good start. Think about whether these fears are preventing you from living courageously each day. Now, write down one or two things that you could do each day to counter this fear. For instance if it is the fear of public speaking, commit yourself to saying one thing in class or during a meeting. Then slowly increase the number of times you speak with each opportunity.