As a child, I was small and skinny. I wore National Health Service glasses – pink plastic ones. I was teased horribly and felt ugly. I felt different, alone. I was told I was sensitive. I never saw myself as being strong or courageous. Yet, what I learned from experiencing change in life is that each of us has what we need to navigate our challenges, and, strength and courage can appear to come from nowhere just when we need it. We each have inner resources, we simply need to call on them.
Courage is often born in adversity. It can come to us when the worst thing happens, when we are on our knees, when it feels like life as we’ve known it is tumbling down. We face our fear, and somehow we make it through the darkness into the light.
The worldwide pandemic is bringing up fear for many of us, and where there is fear there is always an opportunity to step out of our comfort zone and be creative in finding ways to live differently and become more of who we are.
The greatest courage, I’ve found, is to be yourself without worrying whether others like you. or not. To get out of your head and stop trying to be who you think you should be to get what you think you want. To get into your heart and be real. To ‘Be all things to all people’ – focus on being you, and be willing to allow Spirit to work through you to do whatever you need to do that will be whatever the person needs for their journey. And being you may mean being a catalyst in someone’s life, not a friend.
Overcoming our challenges can transform us into someone we never imagined existed! And courage can be the fuel to follow our dreams! To take one step, then another, then another…