Perhaps this punchy quote is expected from President Theodore Roosevelt– The same man who was shot in the chest and instead of going to the hospital, proceeded with delivering a 90-minute-long speech! But isn’t such courage, though it will look different for each person, and hopefully less dramatic, the standard that we should attain to?
Comfort is achieved by remaining on the sidelines, but this is often at the expense of digging the grave of your own dreams. I think most of us want to “dare mighty things,” but when it comes down to it, that takes real vulnerability.
Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor who studies vulnerability and knows the immense struggle it is for so many. It takes courage to be vulnerable. In fact, Brown points out that the root word for courage is “cor,” which is Latin for heart, and an early definition of courage was “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” In other words, courageous meant to bare your heart.
Mighty surf at Ho’okipa, Maui.
Think of people that you look up to for whatever reason– Chances are, they got to their current success by daring to be vulnerable; by baring their heart. For instance, many great authors, such as William Golding, E.E. Cummings, Jack London, Dr. Seuss, and J.K. Rowling were rejected by publishers numerous times before their famous books were finally published. So not only did they have to be vulnerable once, but after they failed, they had to be vulnerable again, and again, and again. Or take Walt Disney– he was fired from a cartoonist job at the Kansas City Star newspaper. According to his editor he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Ironically, years later, The Walt Disney Company bought ABC which owned The Kansas City Star. Disney’s success and legacy are evidence of great courage and an example of Brown’s argument, “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.”
Stepping out of your comfort zones to “dare mighty things” looks different for each one of us but usually it involves pursuing a dream. For my husband and me, our dream was to move to Hawaii. Nothing about making this dream a reality was comfortable. We removed ourselves from the haven of friends and family back home and settled our life on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific where so many of the conveniences we were accustomed to are non-existent. And guess what, though difficult at times it’s been rewarding in more ways than we can count and an experience that will serve as a firm foundation for our marriage for the rest of our lives.
Cliff’s edge, Three Stone, Lanai.
For you vulnerability and courage to step out of your comfort zone could be to have a conversation that will restore relationship with a loved one, or to plunge into the unknown and start a business, or to take a stand against something you believe is unjust, or a million other things. What is it for you?
Let 2016 be a benchmark year where you are vulnerable and courageous and the course of your life is forever impacted as a result.
Please comment below with feedback on today’s post. Thank you for the support!
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