Top 6 Traits of Deeply Courageous People
By: Karen Nimmo
Tags: Self Improvement, Inspiration, Life, Life Lessons, Psychology

Are you a courageous person?

Not in the swim-with-sharks-paraglide-off-mountains kind of way — although I’m not denying the courage involved in those things.

But in the way you lead your life. In the way you go about your day to day tasks, the approach to you take to the big picture.

What does it mean to have courage?

Courage is the ability to front up to something that frightens you.

In therapy you see examples of courage every day.

The schoolboy who tells his parents he wants to live as a female.

The woman in her forties who has come out of a 10-year toxic relationship goes on a date.

The athlete who plays comes back after injury or performing badly and then being smashed by fans on social media.

The young man who faces up to his disordered eating even though he’s proud of his lean body.

The young mother with terminal cancer packages gifts for her children to receive every birthday after she’s gone.

It’s not easy to show courage consistently. We all have moments when we allow our fears to shut us down — even when we know the risks of doing so.

But breaking through fear is the ticket to squeezing the most out of our talents, chasing our goals and dreams, improving our relationships — living more fully.

There are many kinds of courage. Just because you feel you lack in one area doesn’t mean you can’t roar like a lion in another.

Here are the clearest ways courage can show up.

1. Playing in the big arena.

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” — Anais Nin

Courageous people play the big game. They think beyond what’s going on right now to what they want for their lives. They don’t avoid the Hard Stuff by burying themselves in busyness.

Playing the big game is asking that person on a date, making that speech, applying for that dream job, facing up to whatever is holding you back. Even when it is difficult, even when it involves risk, courageous people suit up and step into the big arena.

2. Speaking up when something is wrong.

“Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.” — Maggie Kuhn

Most of us have had moments when we’ve looked the other way when we should have taken action, we should have spoken up — if not for ourselves than for someone who needed our support. Perhaps we were shy, anxious, worried about the repercussions or just too young to know better.

Courageous people don’t allow that to happen repeatedly. When they see or know something is wrong, they say so — to the right people. They make a stand for themselves, what they believe in and/or those who are struggling.

3. Walking on unsteady feet.

“Bran thought about it. ‘Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?’ ‘That is the only time a man can be brave,’ his father told him.” — George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Courage is not about always striding forth with certainty. It’s not about banishing fear from our minds and vocabs. It’s often about stepping forward on unsteady feet, about not knowing the outcome but understanding that only by letting go of certainty can you come fully alive.

4. Taking off your emotional mask.

“A uthenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.”- Brené Brown

Courage is not about relentless positivity. It’s not about slapping a bright face and a cheerful smile over your difficulties. It’s about picking your moment, and your people, to be vulnerable with, to say when you’re struggling. To be able to cry with people — as well as laugh with them.

To suffer and to hurt is normal and human. Yes, it’s a risk. And, yes, some people won’t be comfortable with it. But that’s their journey. This is yours. And being vulnerable shows you care.

5. Following your own truth.

“It takes courage…to endure the sharp pains of self- discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives.” — Marianne Williamson

Courageous people let go of the idea that life is about making other people happy. They’re not still doing the job they hate that their mother had in mind for them when they entered high school. They throw off the shackles and do what is meaningful to them — even when it’s not the popular choice.

6. Persisting — even on the crap days.

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, ‘I’ll try again tomorrow.’” — Mary Anne Rademacher

It’s a universal truth that, even when you have a life you enjoy, it can be boring and repetitive. Even when you do work you are passionate about, some days can be a drag. No-one bounces out of bed every single day on a mission to take over the world. And, if they do, stay away from them.

Persistence, with things that matter to you, is everything. It’s about showing up consistently, whoever you are, whatever you do.

The great thing about courage is that it’s not discriminatory. It’s free to all of us. All we have to do is beckon it forth.