What’s the Scariest Thing You’ve Ever Done?

Think about it.

Was it standing up to a bully in 7th grade? Going for your first job interview? Buying your first house? Having your first child? Leaving a job? Or a relationship?

Anything I’ve ever done that ultimately was worthwhile, initially scared me to death.  – Betty Bender

I guess I’d have to think about it to answer that question myself, because it seems like I’ve done all kinds of things that “…initially scared me to death”. Right as I was writing this post, I cracked up laughing because I received an email from a good friend asking me to serve on a women’s leadership panel, saying she saw me as a “fearless woman”.

Oh my goodness.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Courage isn’t about being fearless. Courage is about taking action in spite of your fear.

Courage is about being scared to death,

and doing it anyway.

And no, I don’t mean the teen-aged variety of courage – where everything in you screams at you that you should NOT go to that party but you go anyway. That’s intuition, and we ignore that at our peril. But then that’s a conversation for another day.

Instead, Courage is saying NO to your kids because it’s best for them, even though they plead, cry and threaten.

Courage is saying YES when your boss asks you to take on a special project– even though you’re terrified that you won’t be up to the task– and then going out and gathering the resources you need to make it happen.

Courage is saying NO when you feel no, even though you’re afraid of disappointing someone you care about, like when you’re asked to chair that church committee for the 5th year in a row and your heart is no longer in it.

Courage is saying YES to the dream you’ve held deeply for so many years, and taking the first step, however small, towards making that dream a reality – even if everyone around you thinks you’re crazy.

Courage is speaking your mind and following your heart. And when you act on that courage, you’ll find that confidence isn’t far behind. :)

So what about you?

How would you define courage?

Let me know in the comments below!

And a few Reminders:

I’ll be leading the next SECRET ADVENTURE for COURAGEOUS WOMEN on Saturday, May 19th, from 12:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. And in honor of Mother’s Day, I’ll be hosting a very special and lovely event for Mothers and Daughters- of any age. Watch our Facebook page, your inbox, and this site for the announcement. I’ll post it tomorrow! :) 

Also, I’ve posted the news about my First Ever Not-So-Secret Adventure WEEKEND. Mark your calendars now and make your plans because you DON’T want to miss this, and I’ll start accepting registrations soon!