Imagine standing on a high bridge as you're told it's your turn to experience your first bungee jump. Suddenly the guide starts counting down, three , two, one... What emotion would you feel - excitement or fear?
If you look up the words bravery and courage they are sometime used to mean the same thing but I believe they are VERY different. My father was a brave man. He served in WWII and I never saw him scared. Right before his aorta replacement surgery I sat with him in the pre-op area and he was cool as a cucumber. The nurses were amazed that his heart rate was normal and that he did not want anything to "take the edge-off". There was no edge. I'm not sure if he was like that his whole life or if he saw too much in the war and lost his ability to fear.
In my mind courage is much different. One cannot have courage without fear. The brave person will stand on the bridge without fear and jump. The courageous person will stand on the bridge, maybe need a change of clothes due to overwhelming fear and jump anyway. I believe that courage is much harder and more common than bravery.
Here is your challenge for today: Be courageous in one small act.
What have you put off because you fear saying or doing it? I'm talking SMALL here. Don't ask someone to marry you or challenge the company bully (or boss) to a fight. Simply call someone that you haven't talked to in a while and let them know you were thinking about them. You know who I mean since you probably had a name pop into your head while reading this. Go ahead and jump - three, two, one...
