Courage can happen to anyone. Courage doesn’t require us to be the smartest, strongest, richest, or most powerful superhero on the planet. It doesn’t look a certain way, sound a certain way, or worship a certain way. Courage can belong to anyone and everyone—it exists in unlimited supply.
I used to believe courage could never belong to me because I wasn’t charismatic. I’ve been thrown into plenty of challenging situations throughout my life, and I’ve realized that courage has nothing to do with how outgoing or extroverted you are and everything to do with your willingness to listen to that small call inside of you that tells you not to retreat. Even though fear and doubt will be screaming for attention, courage encourages you not to turn back. “Go on,” courage says, “and keep going.”
If you’re ever forced into a legal deposition, you know about the hot seat. The hot seat is where they interrogate and rip you apart across a little table. I truly hope you never find yourself there. Being bullied for three hours by a person whose livelihood hinged on their ability to destroy me was an excruciating experience. I sat in the hot seat with my attorney on one side and Mike on the other. A stranger sat in the corner transcribing every word being spoken, and across from me sat the person who was trying to gain custody of my children. I wondered how I had gotten there, why somebody like me had been chosen for this moment, this experience. As I sat at that table ferociously defending my name, my children, and my family, I realized I didn’t need to be bigger or louder to be courageous, I just needed to be me—unapologetically.
Courage isn’t a myth or a mystical power floating in the ether, it is real and available to all of us.
Even if you don’t see it, it is inside of you right now, so don’t ever forget it’s there. The ignition that makes your heart beat faster, courage is the whisper of hope telling you your voice will make a difference. A touch of courage feels like a hug and a push all at once. Even if you cannot see courage, it resides in you ready to burn bright.
