What Courage Really Is

ByMatthew

Courage isn’t having the strength to go on — it is going on when you don’t have strength. – Napoleon Bonaparte

Having the strength to go on is capacity. You either have it at any given moment, or you don’t.

Want more capacity?

Train…

Whatever you’ll need when things get tough, develop greater amounts of that.

Then you’ll have something you can use when you need it.

***

But what if you don’t think you have the strength to go on?

Then you need a different thought.

And when you think differently, you’ll feel and act differently.

Think courageously and you’ll be able to go on.

Again, it all comes down to thought.

Similar Posts

  • The Wastefulness (and Impossibility) of Multi-Tasking

    ByMatthew

    Here’s some ancient wisdom: “To do two things at once is to do neither.” – Publius Syrus And some modern “validation:” People confuse “rapid-switching” with multi-tasking [NPR article] And Peter Bregman explains that trying to multi-task makes us less-smart, less-productive and less-competent [HBR Blogs] I’m convinced (of course I already knew that trying to multi-task was…

  • All You Have Is What You Do

    ByMatthew

    My actions are my only true belongings. – Thich Nhat Hanh Your legacy, what you truly leave behind, is what you’ve done. All your possessions are fleeting and can be lost in an instant — and will fade and decay anyway. What endures are the choices you made, the work you’ve done and lives you’ve touched….

  • What Do You Want?

    ByMatthew

    If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want go far, you have to go with others – Dale Brown The interesting thing, the truth that is sometimes hard to grasp (and accept) is that just about anything worth working on and having, requires partnership and collaboration. Yes, there are things that you…

  • Want a Door? MAKE a Door

    ByMatthew

    Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door. – Coco Chanel The only time you should beat on a wall is if you are (hitting it in such a way that you’re) making a hole for a door. Feebly pounding on or flailing against a wall in the hopes it will…

  • Be Audacious

    ByMatthew

    Fortune favors the audacious. – Erasmus Even the smallest audacaities matter. Sometimes just doing something a little daring, a tiny bit bold, is what sets you on a path that changes your life in wonderful and profound ways. Don’t worry that your boldness seems small; all that matters is that you act.