5 Seconds to Courage

Google's definition for the word Courage is, "The ability to do something that frightens one." It seems kind of boring and un-inspirational. I like Harry Kraemer's (former CEO of Baxter International) favorite definition. It is,"A quality that enables someone to face a challenge even in the midst of fear."  I've been reading "From Values to Action" written by Harry Kraemer, who focuses on four principles or values that will help in becoming a great leader. Something he's focused on in his book is recognizing what your own personal values are and committing to them.  This helps me to have courage. As I determine what my values are, I'm basically already making up my mind whether or not I will respond courageously in a certain situation. I read this in an article recently. " Values are empowering. We are much more in control of our own lives when we're clear about our personal values. When values are clear we don't have to...

It takes time to build up to being courageous;time and..... actually being courageous! Sometimes we need a little help along the way. I wanted to share this  article  in hopes that it will build self-confidence and maybe encourage a little self-reflection.  This article gives advice on how to increase confidence and self-esteem. It gives 10 pieces of advice. I would recommend taking just a couple steps and working on them for a couple weeks until it becomes a habit and then adding a couple more to your routine. That way it's not too overwhelming.  What I like to do is make a goal for the month and write it at the top of my calendar as a reminder of what I'm working on. 

I did something courageous that was actually really very scary and completely unplanned. I had surgery. My family has a history of bad hips and I never expected anything to be wrong with mine. When they told me I needed to have the surgery done; I was terrified. Surgery is scary. I might have looked calm going into the hospital, laughing with my husband before they took me into the operating room but my heart was beating out of my chest. Because of the surgery, I've had to do other courageous things. Courageous in my book, anyways. I've had to do things like get up in front of tons of people with my crutches, facing their stares and curious looks. I've had to drive my car. That's been a scary adjustment. I've always been proud of what I've been able to do with my body. Now that I'm injured and can't do as much as I want to, it's been hard to not get frustrated with myself and my limitations. But I'm learning to look at the bigger picture and ...

I had a small "5 seconds to courage" moment the other day. I was riding my bike to the train station when I saw a man pushing his car all by himself. I thought,"Okay. I can either stop and ask if this man needs help and possibly be refused or I could keep riding and just never know what might have happened and regret not helping someone in need." I decided to stop. It turns out that he did indeed need help and appreciated the little muscles of a 23 yr old girl. It wasn't a life changing moment, but I felt good that I was able to help someone and in turn I know I also received a little bit of help that day. I wanted to share this video because it shows the influence that service can have on you. It's about a 10 minute video but it's pretty powerful.