POWER OF COURAGE: Chapt.5

FIVE STEPS TO DEVELOPING COURAGE Acknowledge And Understand That It's Not The Absence Of Fear: Even the most courageous of us experience fear and trepidation. John Wayne said: "Courage is being scared to death -- and saddling up anyway".Ask any soldier or warrior who has had to venture forth in battle. Few would deny feeling fear and uncertainty beforehand.•

Muster Up The Willingness To Do So: Before you can acquire any habit, or character trait, you must have a strong desire or willingness to do so. Contemplating the alternative, which would be to live in fear or a position of great vulnerability, should provide ample motivation.

Read Literature, The Latest News, And Watch Movies About Tales Of Courage: Reading about the courageous acts of others is very inspiring and offers. Examples for all of us. In one of my favorite works of literature, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, although very ill equipped for it, sets forth to courageously right the wrongs of the world. He faces scorn, ridicule and resistance at every turn, yet he perseveres."One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world was better for this". Don Quixote, de la ManchaLikewise, you need not read much further, Consider the courage and bravery of the ordinary men and women, the firefighters, the police and all those who gave their lives to save others. Who can forget the accounts of their honourable actions and how they didn't think twice about consequences to themselves?

Start Small But Start Somewhere: Venturing forth and stepping out of your comfort zone can be daunting at first, so start out by doing something small. Ask that cute girl, or guy, out for a coffee (or herbal tea, juice, power shake). Sure, it may be scary, but that's all right - do it anyway. If you normally hold back and are afraid to speak up, offer your opinion and suggestions at the next office meeting. It may feel awkward at first, but know that it gets easier with practice.

Slowly, But Surely Build Up Your Courage By Doing The Things You Typically Shy Away From: While you want to make sure that you leave your ego at the door, showcasing your ability is an important factor in becoming a courageous leader. Employees want to know they are working with someone who is competent and capable of getting the job done. Building courage in this way can help you when it's time to quit that job you are not suited for or leaving a relationship that you've long since outgrown.•

Develop Faith And Confidence: A large part of developing courage is having faith in yourself, faith in a higher power and faith that things will work out. Courageous leaders establish higher standards for themselves and for their staff. As a leader, you need to set up personal standards for yourself to reach your full potential. By demonstrating this to your employees, you allow them to reach their full potential too. This type of confidence comes from maintaining a positive attitude and visualizing a favourable outcome. A courageous mindset is the product of faith, self-confidence and positive thinking.