Do you know that the English word courage comes from the Latin ‘cor’ which means ‘heart’?

Courage comes from your heart. Literally.

We don’t often think of courage as we live our lives. And when we do, we may think of courage as grand gestures or major acts.

But isn’t courage about daily acts of living?

Isn’t courage about things such as

• saying ‘I don’t know’,
• telling somebody we love them,
• speaking up at the meeting,
• presenting when we dread even the idea of public speaking,
• moving in with somebody,
• leaving our jobs,
• saying ‘I need help’,
• holding somebody’s hand when they are dying

and so on….?

All of us often need to find courage to do all those things or/ and say the words.

I see courage every day. It looks just like You. It appears in the conversations I have with people who open up and share and search for whatever they need in order to live.

American poet Rita Dove wrote ‘Courage has nothing to do with our determination to be great. It has to do with what we decide in that moment when we are called to be more’.

I really like her words, they resonate with me so much.

For me, the greatest act of courage is to live your life- to experience and feel, fear and dare, fall and get up, wonder and realise what we want and how we want to live through the time we have here on Earth, and then to actually go on and do it.

Whenever I struggle finding courage, I ask myself ‘what do I need to find it?’ and start there…. I often find courage reminding myself I have only one life and this is my opportunity to experience and live it as best as I can. So as long as my heart is beating, I can find my courage to live.

So as you are reading this piece, place your hand on your chest. Can you feel your heart beating?

That is the sound of your courage. Live it.

much love,

R