Have you ever thought of yourself as being brave? You may find it challenging to imagine how courage fits in with most things in your life. Things like your social life, going to work and communicating with your spouse. However, courage is an important aspect of all types of situations and relationships. Remembering your natural bravery will boost your confidence and self esteem.
You can live life more fully by applying some of these simple tips.
Caveat: Before you employ any of these techniques, think. Use your common sense.
1. Eye to eye contact. If you are shy or feel awkward looking people in the eye or chatting with someone you just met. It takes a certain amount of inner strength or fearlessness to accomplish this; but its important. Each time you can muster up the courage to perform this task, you gain more self confidence for your next social situation.
2. Speak up. Standing up for a project you want to do at work says a lot about you. Although co-workers may be vying for the work and your boss might have his own idea about the person he wants to do a particular job, just by stepping forward exhibits a certain amount of fearlessness. You will ultimately be more likely to receive the type of work projects you want in the future when you step up and ask for them. These courageous behaviors pay off.
3. Disagree, agreeably. Being willing to stand up for yourself with your colleagues or your spouse shows personal strength and courage.
Perhaps you have found yourself in past situations when you’ve strongly disagreed with something your partner did or said. Maybe you choked back or ignored your own feelings most of those times. But if your spouse keeps repeating those behaviors or comments, step forward bravely and openly discuss your feelings with your spouse. Doing so can actually help solidify and strengthen your relationship.
4. Change your look. Shaving off your beard or moustache, or completely changing the style of your hair reveals a certain amount of bravery. Even trying a trendy new color that you don’t normally wear is a great demonstration of your firm decision to change something about yourself.
Have you ever wanted to change your image or renew your style? This can be challenging and even feel a little scary. Such decisions require great deliberation and great resolve to follow through. But when you do, you feel great. These simple acts of courage associated with changing your looks facilitate the renewal of your self confidence.
5. Stand up for what you believe. Regardless of the venue, stepping forward to make a point is a pretty brave thing to do. Have you ever decided you weren’t going to “take it anymore?” Standing up for yourself has the upside potential of garnering respect from others as well as improving your current situation.
Whether you are the only one in the parent-teacher organization who thought something wasn’t a great idea, or you joined the local anti-vandalism group in your neighborhood, standing up for what you believe takes some measure of fearlessness. Stepping forward for a cause that you feel emotionally invested in requires passion and bravery.
6. Give yourself credit. Recognize that it takes a certain amount of bravery to live in this world of ours. Taking part in social events, speaking up at work, voicing a disagreement with your spouse and doing something to change your style or looks all reflect a sense of inner strength and courage. And, standing up for what you believe in, in your every day life shows that you aren’t afraid to express yourself.
Discover your own fearlessness by acknowledging these simple acts of bravery that you do everyday. You’ll feel deeply rewarded emotionally and will go forward into your every day tasks with greater confidence. Essentially, by reinforcing courage, you lay the ground work to get what you want and deserve from life!
COURAGE*
Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace,
The soul that knows it not, knows no release
From little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear,
Nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear The sound of wings.
How can Life grant us boon of living, compensate
For dull grey ugliness and pregnant hate
Unless we dare
The soul’s dominion?
Each time we make a choice, we pay
With courage to behold the restless day,
And count it fair.
— Amelia Earhart (1927), via The Sound of Wings: The Biography of Amelia Earhart , by Mary S. Lovell, 1989
Thoughts?
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photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anetz/2263603981/sizes/z/in/photostream/
* written before her transatlantic flight, June 1928, first printed in “Who is Amelia Earhart?” by Marion Perkins, Survey Graphic Magazine, July 1928, p. 60
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