All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.
-Walt Disney
I dream of world peace; I dream of no more needless suffering; I dream of freedom for all. Lofty? Definitely. Unattainable? I hope not. Time will tell, though. What do you dream of?
If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.
-Martin Luther
I am slowly figuring out more ways to volunteer within my community, too. I expand my footprint for social justice. I refuse to stay at home behind my walls doing nothing at alls.
You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both.
-Brené Brown
I know how scary it can be, at least initially, to start moving beyond your comfort zone. That one Dune quote still echoes in my head, though – “fear is the mind-killer.” It feels quite true to me. By facing my fears, I become more courageous. I surprised myself even earlier today when throwing my one round of disc golf this weekend. A friend joined me for this morning’s round of eighteen, and he told me after hole thirteen that there was a spider on the side of my neck. I reached up to the right side and he instructed me towards the other side instead. After a casual brush along the left side of my neck, a decent-sized spider went falling to the forest floor. The spider scuttled away some as I crouched down to investigate it, mostly out of sheer curiosity. Even now, I am still trying to figure out how in the world I stayed so calm, cool, and collected in that moment. Why was I not flailing almost immediately after he informed me about my neighborly intruder? I suppose I am slowly figuring out that not all spiders are inherently bad or evil. Sure, it sounds simple now as I type it out, but I definitely lost that rational logic somewhere along the way for many, many years. I am proud of that brief courage that calmly presented itself today.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.
-Mark Twain
Spiders might still shock and surprise me on occasion, but, as I gain curiosity for them and learn more about them, those fearful moments start to shrink. I slowly begin to burn away at that web of fear that has encased me for far too long. It is exciting and liberating to feel the courage welling up inside of me. I had not tapped into it for quite some time, but I am thankful that it is there now, ready and willfully waiting for me when I need it.
Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
-Dale Carnegie
Please ask yourself – what is one small step that I can take this week to be courageous? How can I step beyond my comfort zone, even briefly, to try to help someone else a bit? Maybe you can start to ask yourself this question daily instead of weekly. Maybe then it can become hourly instead of daily. Courage can continue to grow and strengthen us all.
Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.
-Ruth Gordon
I expect there will also be days when you will simply need to be courageous for yourself. Perhaps you need to courageously defend some personal time to develop more love and care for yourself. That is very important, too. You can best help others when you operate at your best. However, there should be a healthy balance to that idea in general as well.
Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’
-Mary Anne Radmacher
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell. Be courageous, y’all :) <3