What does being courageous mean to you? Does it mean stepping out of your comfort zone and facing your fears, which can lead you towards accomplishing something great? Does it mean asking someone on a date or finally making that phone call you were too afraid to make? In what area of your life would you like to be more courageous today? The truth is, courage gives us freedom, confidence and often brings new, exciting opportunities into our lives. To me, having courage also means to live fully in my truth. That means being fully myself without denying my true self and be who I really came here to be. I am constantly mastering this lesson, and even though I sometimes slip and detour where I don’t want to go, I take a deep breath, forgive myself and set on the path of authenticity again. This week, I would love to share with you three areas of life, where I believe, we can all become more courageous.
1) Have the courage to be yourself
I recently launched a podcast where I shared a little bit about my story. I talked about how I used to struggle loving and accepting myself for who I am. At an early age, I came to a conclusion that I was not good enough and weird. I created a belief system that I needed to impress people, so they would like me and accepted me. It was as an exhausting way of living. As I grew older and realised this is not the way I want to live my life, I set off on a journey to learn how to start loving and accepting myself fully. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I learned, that there is a beauty in my truth and I want to share it with everyone I meet. So, how about you? Are you being true to yourself or are you currently feeling lost in this area? You may not be brave enough to own your truth, because of the beliefs passed onto you by others and also yourself. Take a deep breath. You are not alone. Many people live this way and it is quite a shame because you are a unique soul. There is nobody like you and there is never going to be anybody like you. Why waste this precious life to compare yourself to other people or try being somebody you are not? Having the courage to be your true self is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.
Exercise:
Here is a powerful exercise from one of my favourite teachers, Louise Hay. Stand in front of a mirror, look into your own eyes and say: “I love you (Your Name). What can I do for you today to make you happy?” I started practising this exercise, around 8 years ago and it made a huge impact on my life. This beautiful act of self-love will set you off on a path of loving and accepting yourself for who you are.
2) Have the courage to say how you feel
Many of us don’t express how we really feel. We sometimes say yes, when we mean no and don’t really express ourselves fully. When you don’t express how you really feel, you are shutting down the voice of your soul and you are again, denying the truth of who you are. A while back, I wrote an article titled: Learning to say ‘NO’. If this is something you struggle with, you can read it here: https://www.mysticbutterfly.co.uk/learningtosayno/
Exercise:
Here is a quick exercise for you: Next time somebody asks you, if you can do something for them, ask yourself: “How do I feel about this? Do I really want to do this or am I just saying yes to be nice, so the other person will still like me?” Always enquire within. When you do that, you get the answer from the direct source, from your soul. It may come to you straight away or a bit later. You can always tell the person (who is asking for the favour), that you will think about their request and you’ll get back to them.
3) Have the courage to pursue your dreams
I meet many talented people who are passionate about something, but they are just not courageous enough to pursue their dreams. They believe that success belongs to someone else, someone who in their eyes may look like they have it all figured out. Nobody has it all figured out. If you have a dream, it definitely came to you for a reason. The reason it came to you, is because are the perfect person to bring it to this reality.
Exercise:
Here are couple of things you can do every single day, that can lead you closer to your dream: start reading a book which talks about the subject you are passionate about, do some research, ask questions, get inspired by the people who are already doing what you would love to do, write down the steps you need to take….). A little step every day is better than no step at all. Get busy and start bringing your dream into reality.