That’s what courage is. It’s a push. The kind of push we give ourselves when we
stand up, speak up, show up, go first, raise our hand or do whatever feels hard,
scary, or uncertain. Do not look at our heroes in history, business, art, and music
and assume that somehow they are different than you. It’s not true.
Courage is a birthright. It is inside each and every one of us. You were
born with it and you can tap into it anytime you want. It’s not a matter of
confidence, education, status, personality, or profession. It’s simply a matter of
knowing how to find it when you need it. And when you need it, you’ll probably be
alone.
It’s going to be just you sitting in a meeting at work, standing in your kitchen,
riding the subway, looking at your phone, staring at your computer, or thinking
about something—and all of sudden, it will happen. Something will go down, and
your instincts will come alive. You’ll have an urge to act. Your values and your
instincts will tell you what you should do. And your feelings will scream “NO.” That
is the push moment. You don’t have to have all the answers. You just have to make
a decision in the next five seconds.
Dan is alone at his computer thinking about registering for summer classes. He
wants to earn his college degree but at the age of 44, the idea of starting as a
freshman is nothing short of terrifying.
Courage is what Christine needs as she’s sitting in a marketing meeting in Plano,
Texas. She has a great idea to share but wonders, Is this going to sound stupid?
Tom is standing in a bar in Chicago. The moment he sees her he can’t look
away. He can either turn back toward his friends and pretend to care about the
football game they’re discussing, or find the courage to start walking toward her.
The entire sales organization of a financial software company feels discouraged
in Nashville. They’ve hit their numbers three years in a row, and quotas just got