Jen's Crash Course on Courage

“Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose.” ~ Tom Krause

Courage is a word with a lot of synonyms. It is more easily defined as mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty, but a meaning that is more difficult to describe in each individual person.

In order for me to discover what courage meant to me, I asked myself a question: If I found out tomorrow that I was dying, what would I regret the most? I found that most of the answers had nothing to do with things that I had done and subsequently wished I hadn't, but more in the regrets I would have for the things I didn't do that I wish I had done.

In my line of work, I often have the opportunity to really sit down and talk to people who are terminally ill, chronically ill or life-changing disabilities, and without fail, people seem to have the same regrets: I wish I'd had the courage to be true to myself instead of living to be the person everyone else expected me to be, I wish I hadn't spent so much time at work instead of enjoying more time with my friends and family, I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings, I wish I had stayed in better touch with my friends and people I loved and I wish I had let myself be happier.

I would say that 4 out of these 5 regrets absolutely apply to me. I haven't
had the courage to live my way without constant concern about what others expect of me, I haven't had the courage to spend more time enjoying myself instead of working all the time, I haven't had the courage to spend as much time with my friends and people I love as I would always like to and I haven't had the courage to allow myself to be happier without feeling guilt for actually being happy.

Is it possible to always be able to resolve issues within yourself if you are already conscious of those issues? No, it isn't always possible. However, having courage means to be willing to TRY to resolve those issues. Even if it means you will not succeed.