(Special thanks to Melanie Greenberg, PhD for inspiring this article)
“Courage is more exhilarating than fear…and in the long run it is easier.” Eleanor Roosevelt
As entrepreneurs, we are faced with fears and challenges every day. From ones that are seemingly small, like picking up the phone to build a collaboration relationship, to ones that are big, like stepping out to speak for the first time, our fears have the potential to take us out of business on a daily basis.
But when we harness the power of courage…watch out world! We can accomplish more than we imagined possible. Courage is one of THE most important innate qualities to tap in to as an entrepreneur because it is the bridge between inspired ideas and real world outcomes.
In my own life, I’ve been the first to say “I love you”, walked on fire, done athletic feats that most people prefer to watch on TV, sung half naked in front of 200 people (yep!), challenged authority figures, bungee jumped, taken responsibility for things that failed, packed up and moved across country then came back three months later, and I’ve extricated myself from relationships and environments that kept me small –all in service of my soul’s evolution.
By following my intuition – my gut instincts – no matter how scared I was and holding integrity as one of my highest values, I can congruently say that yes, courage IS more exhilarating than fear and it IS easier in the long run. And it is a key quality that has helped me dramatically increase my income, get amazing singing and speaking opportunities and boldly follow the voice of my soul.
So if you find yourself weak in the knees when it’s time to state your new higher fees or sweating buckets when it’s time to step on stage, today’s quotes and questions will help you dig deep to find your courage and act in spite of fear…ultimately enriching your life experience AND business results.
In my last article I talked about the first three aspects of courage:
1. Feeling Fear Yet Taking Action In Spite of It
2. Following Your Heart and Intuition
3. Persevering in the Face of Adversity
(You can read the whole article by clicking here)
This article is about the other three aspects of courage:
4. Standing Up For What Is Right
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” – J. K. Rowling
“There are a group of people who would like to silence everybody and have everybody go along to get along, but that’s not going to be very helpful for us in the long run, in terms of solving our problems. And somebody has to be courageous enough to actually stand up to, you know, the bullies.” – Benjamin Carson
“Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes” — Maggie Kuhn
“Half a century ago, the amazing courage of Rosa Parks, the visionary leadership of Martin Luther King, and the inspirational actions of the civil rights movement led politicians to write equality into the law and make real the promise of America for all her citizens.” – David Cameron
Access Courage: Get connected to what you REALLY care about on behalf of your clients. It will give you the fuel to accelerate through fear.
Q: What are you a stand for on behalf of your clients – like if they only got one thing from working with you, what would you want them to get that would change their lives?
5. Expanding Horizons, Releasing the Familiar
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Lord Chesterfield
“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.” – Erica Jong
“In Endymion, I leaped headlong into the sea, and thereby have become better acquainted with the soundings, the quicksands, and the rocks than if I had stayed upon the green shore, and piped a silly pipe, and took tea and comfortable advice.” – John Keats
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” — Anais Nin
Access Courage: Remember when you were a kid and you played Truth or Dare? It probably gave you that alive and alert feeling of being excited and afraid at the same time, right? Do something each day that gives you that feeling. It will create momentum in your business.
Q: If you chose to Dare in your business, what would you do?
“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace.” – Victor Hugo
“It requires more courage to suffer than to die.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
“Courage is not the absence of despair; it is, rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair.” – Rollo May
“Some people are walking around with full use of their bodies and they’re more paralyzed than I am.” – Christopher Reeve
Access Courage: Pain, sorrow, setbacks and circumstances are a natural part of life. Contrast is how we learn to appreciate the seemingly little things in life like the wind in your hair or the touch of a loved one – often the things we take for granted.
Q: Who or what do you want to express your appreciation for right now?
And I’ll leave you with one more quote from Christopher Reeve.
“I am a very lucky guy. I can testify before Congress. I can raise funds. I can raise awareness.”
What can you do with an ounce of courage?