Courage

What is courage? I ask myself that question constantly. Do I have courage?

I suppose different people have different definitions for the loosely worded term. Personally I feel courage is when you have the guts to be true to yourself always. I'm not talking being stubborn and standing up for your beliefs without an inch of compromise. I'm saying the courage to believe in yourself. The courage to have faith in yourself and to not shortchange yourself.

Everyone is capable of great things. I suppose its whether you want to or not. I have this fear. This constant fear that I'm not living up to my own potential. So to mitigate this fear, I just don't allow myself to fail by not even giving myself the chance to. I don't do things I think I can, or take a risk on something I should because I'm afraid to fail. As a kid I played this one game where you tie a balloon on your leg and run around trying to burst other kids balloons. I hid in a corner and ran away. I didn't lose...but I didn't win either. I was just...the kid that didn't do anything. Even now, I do what I have to...but nothing more...because I don't want to let myself...or anybody else down.

Lately though, through various events I've realised theres no running from your destiny. Being afraid to fail doesn't mean you have an excuse to not live up to everything you can be. Acting like you don't care to reduce the hurt of failing doesn't mean you didn't fail. Life is a cruel, painful place. And the champions are rarely the smartest, most beautiful of people...but rather the failures who have the guts to stand up when they are hit, the tenacity to keep going no matter how many times they are brought to their knees. The strength to believe in themselves and trust in what they know...doing their best without fear of failure. And in their own right they become great.

Many of us fear greatness - I know I do. Only because the higher you climb, the harder you fall. And because I fear the fall, I'd rather not make the climb. But is that life? Do I give myself excuses...or do I just pick myself up and put one foot in front of the other, doing my best, hoping that I make good someday. I pray its the latter...because I still have alot to learn. You do your best...God does the rest. And that, is our Deepest Fear.

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
~Marianne Williamson~