Courage - Happy New Year

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we stop to look fear in the face. We must do that which we think we cannot. -- Eleanor Roosevelt

This is one of my favorite quotes. I have a copy of it on my desk, in my phone and a few other places to remind me that even though I might feel afraid, I must do the thing I think I cannot.

At the beginning of each New Year, many people create resolutions. A few years back I decided rather than making resolutions I would create a theme and intention for the year. My theme for this year is trust and I am finding that with the intention of trust comes courage.

Life gives us many opportunities to practice courage, no matter what our age. We need courage to overcome our fears. It takes courage to know that we can achieve our goals even though other people might not believe we can or agree with what we are doing. We use courage to speak up for ourselves or to stand up for what you think is right. It takes courage to fall in love, to be our true self, and to achieve our dreams.

The trouble with courage is that its counterpart is fear. Do you ever notice how sitting and thinking tends to make things much bigger or more dramatic than they really are? It gives the mind more time to come up with reasons and excuses for why we should wait, put things off, or just not do it. The one way I found that works best to overcome fear and use courage to its fullest potential is to be in action. The mind is welcome to continue to worry or come up with ways to stop you, but if you continue to just be in action, those things you want most become attainable.

I hope all your wishes come true for 2009.