Things to Think About 028

I have found, with the people I work with, that oftentimes courage is a key part of their journey to become a better version of themselves—the them that they really want to be. Whether it’s in business, in leadership, or in their personal lives, courage, at one time or another, comes into play. It could be needed to try something new, or to accept a challenge that will stretch them to the limit, or just to say I’m sorry to someone. Unfortunately, though, I find that the great majority of us don’t really understand where courage comes from.

Recently, while reading Malcolm Gladwell’s excellent new book, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, I came across a particularly elegant explanation of courage and how it looks in the everyday lives of regular people like you and me.

“Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when tough times start,” Gladwell writes. “Courage is what you earn when you’ve been through the tough times and discover they aren’t so tough after all.”

Think about it, we tell our children that ghosts, gremlins, monsters and bullies are never what we thought they were when one finds a way to confront them. Why should life be any different as an adult?

Till next time…