Where is your Courage? | 5 places to look for It

The Winding Stairs Episode 5 Where is your Courage? Not everything in life comes easy to us. There are many things that are difficult and sometimes downright intimidating. When we face these things which intimidate us, our default reaction might be to avoid them and engage in other things. Although this might be a natural reaction or an instinctual response, it does not always serve its intended purpose. If we think about human evolution, we can understand that the spirit of self-preservation would have moved primitive humans to avoid overly dangerous or challenging situations. However, in today's world we retain that instinctive inclination to find the path of least resistance, even when that path would lead away from reaching our dreams and achieving those things we desire the most. What can we do to fight this urge to "survive"?  and instead choose that path that will help us Live and thrive, not just survive? The secret is in finding courage. Courage to live a life that fulfills us and allows us to experience our dreams. This does not mean that we will be fearless; for fear is a natural reaction to uncertainty and danger. What being courageous means, is to decide to take action, not without fear, but in spite of it. Where is your Courage? The 5 Places to look for Courage As we go through life, we are bound to encounter situations, which can be difficult and discouraging. This fact is inevitable, but there are several things we can do to make sure we are encouraged and continue moving forward. Look Behind: Retrospection We often forget about past victories; Especially when we are facing a challenge. This is the time when we can draw much needed courage from remembering those past successes. Bringing these moments to the present is sure to re-energize us and remind us that we have already achieved great things. By looking behind at those past triumphs, we create a momentum, which can carry us further than we think possible. If your job requires sales or persuation, you will agree with the notion that a second sale is easier than the first. Sales coaches often advise sales people to capitalize on the momentum created by that initial sale. That momentum will increase the confidence in the sales person and help him create subsequent sales. Similarly, when we look back at previous moments of success, our confidence increases and motivate us to push through the obstacles and achieve our desired goal. There is a biblical example of this concept in action. When a young David was considering standing against the [give brief background about philisteins threatening the israelites] giant, he reached back in to the moments he had defended his flocks from the attacks of a Lion. This gave him the courage necessary to confront an enemy, who had been undefeated and presented an unprecedented threat to the Israelite. Look Inside: Introspection Introspection is crucial in the development of confidence and the increase of courage. When we analyze ourselves and try to identify those thoughts, which may be holding us back, then we can correct them and gain confidence. We first have to be aware the things within us, which might be discouraging us to pursue those things we want to do. Understanding the root of our fears allows us to find specific solutions to those fears, increasing our chances of executing those plans, which we on which we have been procrastinating. Is it fear of failure? Are we trying to avoid embarassment? Are we too worried about what other people might think? These are all good questions in the search for those reasons within us, which might be holding us down.  With the same intensity, we should look inside ourselves for those qualities that will become handy if we embarq on our desired journey. If we familiarise ourselves with those qualities, which give us a good chance at being successful in our endeavour, then we will have a ready arsenal at our disposal to combat or counterbalance thos...