Courage is defined as the ability to face fears with our heads held high. It isn’t the absence of trepidation that we can truly say that we are brave. As a matter of fact, people experience fear daily, and occasionally are even paralyzed by it. We’re allowed to feel all these things. As a matter of fact, we should! Otherwise, we would not be human if we were immune to the many types of emotions. It doesn’t require sacrificing our lives always. As a matter of fact, we all have the makings of a real hero, and in our own little ways, we can show that we’re willing to face all the trials that life throws in our way.

The opportunity to be courageous is inside us all and we are given numerous opportunities where we can practice this. We occasionally do everything to avoid these uncomfortable situations. As we face the Goliath of our inner David, we get scared of the unknown and of the possibility that we will lose. We can not help but flinch and run away.
That’s why, in times like these we need to know that there are things around us that can help us. We have to know that we all have the innate ability to summon all our strength and stand our ground.

Here are just a few tips that might help us along the way:

1.    We have to know what we have. Fear can rule us and paralyze us if we let it. Then, rather than facing something manageable, we face a puffed up illusion of the fear. We have to realize that we always have somebody to lean on. Pray and ask the people in our lives to help us through the ordeal, regardless how small or big it is. Our insecurities might be huge in our minds that this could seem insurmountable, but the only way we can overcome them is to face them and push ourselves towards them. We have people we can count on. This isn’t to say that we forgo all our responsibilities and let them handle all of it. We have to know that we still must go through it, but a hand to hold makes a world of difference.

2.    We need to learn to discover what’s beyond our comfort zone. When we have to confront something, it takes an element of risk into the unknown. If there are risks involved, it does mean we have to let go of it simply because we don’t know what to do. The more we confront the fear, the easier it becomes in our lives. The risk of threat is always around. If we always give up, we will digress and destroy our lives. What will make us stronger is our ability to always get up every time we fall.

3.    We need to face life with optimism. We have to know that there are just things that are beyond our control. Accept these things and change the way we respond to the situation. Rather than it bringing us down, we must find ways to make it work to our advantage. This takes practice, but once we’re able to alter our attitude, we will see that life doesn’t throw us problems that we can not handle.

Courage and resilience go hand in hand because it brings healthy growth. Nature has gifted us with the ability to adapt. It’s now up to us to discover how to use it.