When I think about courage I usually think of facing my biggest fear which, to be frank, would probably be me bleeding out. For you it may be something worse or completely different.

We all are afraid of things and that is okay. It is a part of us being human and it's not like the world would suddenly be a better place if we adopted the mindset of robots.

If all we did was compute numbers where would we ever find the time to live, laugh, love. However what is exactly courage, even if it can not be fully defined we can still attempt to understand the concept.

According to an article from BetterUp titled, “Bravery versus Courage: What is the Difference?” written by Shonna Waters, being courageous is doing something knowing it is scary or dangerous.¹ Well, to most of you reading this, you probably think being courageous is pretty stupid.

However, what if you looked at in the way of how you perceive something as different
from the usual. For me when I go to Starbucks I always order the same thing but every now and again I want to try something new.

Now, the problem is I have no idea how this new drink I am trying will taste like. There is always the possibility in the back of my mind that this may be the worst thing I have ever tasted.

But there is also the off hand chance that it may be the best thing I have ever had from Starbucks. I know there is a chance that something will go wrong but I go for it anyway despite being aware.

This is what courage is in my own personal way. While it is small, trying a new drink is a courageous act to me because I am willingly taking a risk.

Courage may be seen by people completely differently and that is fine. We all define certain things in different ways because everyone has a different perspective.

Well now you may be asking yourself, if being courageous is as easy as that, how can I do that without regretting my actions later? A BetterUp article titled, “How to Be Brave: 9 Ways to Conquer Your Fears” written by Maggie Wooll wrote that it helps to confront your fear, embrace the failure, and being okay with trying it again.²

While I liked the way Wooll listed the ways she suggested I am ordering them in a way that makes sense to me and hopefully for you too. When you think about confronting your fears it is also about recognizing that they are there in the first place.

By coming to terms with your fears about a situation or an action you can then start deciding that if it goes wrong you will be okay. This also helps with not discouraging you from attempting it again.

I think this setup makes much more sense and is easier to understand. To confront a problem you need to know it, be okay with the hypothetical of failing, and be able to feel comfortable that you can do it again.

The saying of ‘be comfortable with the uncomfortable’ always confused me because I personally would rather make the uncomfortable comfortable to suit me to get used to a situation. By being comfortable with the uncomfortable would that not just be ignoring the problem instead of facing it head on?

So instead of going around a problem, face it. Make that uncomfortable situation something you can handle by just acknowledging it.

Cited Sources:
1- “Bravery versus Courage: What is the Difference?” written by Shonna Waters
Bravery-vs-courage

2- “How to Be Brave: 9 Ways to Conquer Your Fears” written by Maggie Wooll
https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-be-brave