Living Courageously

“The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Nelson Mandela

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” Anaïs Nin

The dictionary meaning of ‘Courage’ is the mental and emotional preparedness and ability to deal with difficult, challenging, and sometimes seemingly impossible circumstances. It is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, intimidation and other threats.

A life lived courageously is one that involves discipline, reflection and the conscious awareness of our present actions on our future. Most people lack courage to live a fearless life so they go for instant gratification to make up for their lack of courage. Many are not ready to bear the burden of difficult times and many also don’t like to move away from their comfort zone due to fear of the unknown. Some would rather remain in that job that makes them miserable than look for a more satisfying job. You alone have control over your actions, and you must take responsibility for them if you wish to attain a contented and fulfilling life.

In life, to get to where your destiny wants you to be, some things have to change along the way, I call this sort of change ‘Shifting’ the dictionary meaning explains it as (Changing position or direction). If you do not discern to know when there is the need to make a change or accept a divine change to move you to another direction or path for your life then you may miss out on divine opportunities.

Live a disciplined life; it is an undisciplined life that lacks courage, don’t allow fear to rule you, have the ability to make a positive decision and stick to it courageously, people that make a positive decision today and tomorrow back off because of the responsibility involved will miss out on priceless opportunities and continue to live in a fool’s paradise.

Courage is something only you can truly experience alone. It is a private victory, not a public one. Summoning the courage to listen to your innermost desires is not a group activity and does not result from building a consensus with others. The purpose of your existence is yours alone to discover. No one on earth has lived through the exact same experiences you have, and no one thinks the exact same thoughts you do. If you commit yourself to following the path of courage, you will discover that you are far more powerful and capable than you initially realized, that your ultimate potential is far greater than anything you've experienced in your past, and that with this power comes tremendous responsibility. Human beings are naturally made to be limitless but our upbringing; the society shapes us to believing limitations.

As you begin to live more courageously in your life, have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out with faith in God knowing that there is no limit to what you can achieve.

Hilda Oti