Courage is Fear Walking….But What If I Get Tired of Walking?

Society encourages us to be courageous, to take the next step, to speak up, to step up and to be braver than you feel right now…..and to be honest its equal part exhilarating and exhausting.

Exhilarating because once it’s done you realise that you are far stronger than you ever believed you could be.  You realise that if I can do x then maybe I can do y as well.  You begin to build a muscle that supports you the next time you want to step up again.

I think that we are often surprised by how strong we are and while it’s not a nice feeling to be tested and find out how much we can cope with, it’s still a true statement.

In case you haven’t realised it yet, you are strong.

But on the other side of the coin is the exhaustion piece of courage that I think should also be discussed.

This comes about for me when I’m trying to go again and again into the fray.  It’s not that I am heading an armed battalion going into war, but it’s the small everyday situations that call on me to take a breath and walk again with fear.  It might be turning up at a social setting on my own, having a difficult conversation with a loved one, admitting when I stuffed up, asking for help…all the small pieces that mount up.

Sometimes I’m keen for someone else to step up and have a go or for me to not have to feel like I have to be courageous.  

We are applauded for our strength and our can-do attitude.
We are praised for fighting the good fight.
We admire those who speak out and feel like we too should say more.

But at times it can drain the bank.

So what do we do?

If courage is facing your fears and doing it anyway, do we just let fear win when we are tired from the battle?

I don’t see it that way.  It’s not a matter of fear winning and us losing, it’s about us acknowledging that life is tough at time and its OK to rest, replenish and not head back into the fray straight away.

If you need permission to take stock and go easy, here it is.

Put down your flag, give your shoulders and arms a rest from waving it high and have a cuppa.

Courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway, but it’s actually also courageous to stop and rest and say, not today.

Loretta
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