Courage is "the judgment that something else is more important than fear." (Ambrose Redmoon)
We all need courage, for life is hard, problems are daunting, challenges are painful, opposition is fierce and failure is real.
Redmoon shows us the way forward into these realities.
Courage comes about when you decide there are some things that are more important (far so) than what it is you fear.
What you value is more important than what you fear.
Therefore, it is imperative that I have crystal clarity about what I value.
I need unshakeable conviction and belief about the great things that matter most.
Cherished convictions, compelling beliefs, chosen values . . .
And I think of these things often. I recall them to mind. I reflect and chew on them. I pray about them. I pull deep into me, their reality, so they become part of who I am and who I am is now shaped by what they are.
This does not eliminate any of the hardness, problems, challenges, opposition and failure that life WILL bring my way.
But it does provide perspective (judgment, assessment, conclusions) that something else is more important.
And so I choose to live according to what is more important.
One of the most helpful things you can do is pull out your journal or get a piece of paper and take some time. Reflect and write down - what are the great things that are most important to you. For your imbibing and living of these things is the way of finding courage to lead.
Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com
