Courage

Confidence is attractive, no doubt about it. Someone who knows how to do something well and owns that ability.  Remember that quiet confidence should not to be confused with outright arrogance, which is based in insecurity.  When someone feels the need to boast, they actually lack confidence and subconsciously need to fill that gap in themselves with others’ validation.

However, there’s another related quality that I find even more appealing, courage.

We are all afraid of something. Some of us are afraid of many things, and some fear almost everything.  Courage inspires because we are all afraid.  Courage is daring greatly through vulnerability.  Everyone is on their own journey and the fears they feel are real and valid to them, as are the fears we hang on to and the ones we’ve overcome.

Most people with confidence in something didn’t start with the accompanying skill. Whether it’s learning to try new things or making big-business decisions based on numbers and statistics and logistics and supposed-sure-thing strategies. Either way, it takes guts to go for it; to put ourselves out there subject to “failure.”

Having the courage to try leads to confidence, because it doesn’t matter if we get good at the thing we tried, it’s the trying that matters.

Sadly we live in a “what will they think of me” society.  How many likes did our Facebook status get? How many retweets? Are we being judged for how advanced/basic our yoga practice is? How acclaimed are our kid in school? The list goes on.

Courage doesn’t equal irresponsibility. Sometimes, the greatest courage a person faces is committing to taking responsibility for something greater than themselves, like family and children. Overcoming fears doesn’t mean doing anything overtly dangerous or simply stupid.

Commit to trusting your path, whether you “fail” or “succeed”.  Life really does begin outside our comfort zones.  What’s the worst that could happen? Whatever it is, it’s worth it. (Refer back to being safe and responsible), but as the saying goes: where there is a will there is a way.

Failure isn’t in not succeeding. Failure is in not trying.