Today, we will be discussing one of the top traits of human beings, i.e., courage. In this article, we will discuss various aspects & benefits of courage. There is a saying, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” Sometimes it is true, and sometimes it is not. A baby can never know that the fire will cause pain, so the baby goes and touches it. Is it what we call courageous?
No, that is called a lack of knowledge. But a fireman who rushes into a burning building dressed in protective gear to douse the flame is not naive. That is an example of courage. Courage is to analyze, take precautions, and then face the danger.
Benefits of Courage
The capability of doing the things that are beneficial for us or our loved ones by attacking fear is called courage. A sense of courage has some long-term benefits, like:
1. Confidence boosting
Courage will boost our confidence. We can overcome things we were afraid of. The scary obstacles will not seem scary anymore. The habit of taking action will develop within us.
2. More Positive Outlook
If we start to win over the fears, our outlook will emerge as more positive. A courageous person starts shaking off negativity & starts seeing things on a more positive note.
3. Inspire
By being courageous, we can inspire people around us. How many times have we looked up to someone brave and inspiring? We don’t know what kind of fear or worry he was fighting against. Still, that person confronted their fears and performed despite the challenges. It would feel good to take up the role.
4. Gain experience
We can gain more experience by handling the fear within and overcoming hurdles. The more we face challenges, the more we can become comfortable while dealing with them. I am not suggesting that overcoming challenges will be easy; however, we can learn to channelize our emotions and handle the challenge more effectively from past experiences, which have helped us overcome our inner fear.
5. Gain Success
By conquering our fear, we remove the most formidable obstacle in our path to success. Nobody can go anywhere by playing it safe. The world admires & rewards courageous people.
Ways To Become More Courageous & Fearless
You can practice courage, just like many other skills. By taking small but significant steps, we can bring the necessary courage within to triumph over the fear that is preventing us from reaching our goals. Let’s have a look:
1. Admit the Fear
We really shouldn’t try to neglect or hide our fears; it will make the fear stronger. Instead, we have to admit this problem. All of us have some kind of trepidation, and there is no shame in admitting it. By admitting it, we can get the necessary strength & motivation to move forward & to do something about it. Bravery is not about having no fear, but it is about being afraid and still moving forward to face it.
2. Deal with it
Dealing with your fear is understanding the reasons behind it. For example, suppose you are afraid to ask for a promotion. Ask yourself why you are so afraid. Do you fear rejection? Or are you concerned that you might not meet the expectations? As a result, you may fear rejection and doubt your own capabilities.
You will realize often that it is your ego that is trying to protect itself from feeling low because of some situations you have imagined in your head. In reality, if you don’t ask for it, you will never get it. Your fear is just stopping you from going ahead.
3. Talk to yourself in a Positive Manner
Use the self-talk technique to motivate yourself and to be more confident. Tell yourself how awesome a person you are despite having some issues; all of us have some inner issues.
Remind yourself about your capabilities & skills, and tell yourself how you have used them earlier. Then ask yourself why you are not using the weapons of your capabilities right now. If required, talk in front of a mirror. If you can face yourself, you can face anyone or anything in the world.
4. Get out of your Comfort Zone
As Dale Carnegie said, “Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it…that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.” We often create a comfort zone for ourselves and begin to panic when we need to leave it. Maybe getting out of our comfort zone is the only way to move forward; still, we are afraid to do so.
Pushing ourselves into some uncomfortable situation is a wonderful way to overcome our fears. We need to put ourselves in situations that intimidate us. Once we handle that, we will surely overcome the fear. Suppose you are afraid to be alone; go for a solo trip. The experience and the enjoyment you gain from the trip will make the fear vanish before you know it.
5. Make a Habit of Being Brave
Once you have conquered a fear within, don’t stop there. Examine the areas that still require attention. Make a list of things that you are afraid of & go forward to deal with each of them. Begin with the smallest fear and gradually work your way up to larger ones. Once you have gained victory over a fear, you will realize how much you were missing because of it. You will open yourself up to newer experiences.
6. Accept your past Failures
Most of us are afraid of our past failures. That feeling hangs on us like some ominous shadow, and a sense of fear comes right out of it. We all have made some mistakes in the past, but we have gained experience from them, and in the process, we have evolved as human beings.
Once we start accepting those failures, the urge to do right comes instantly. Suppose you are afraid to ride a bike because of a past accident in which you fractured your leg. Please acknowledge that you may not have had the necessary skills or knowledge to ride a bike, or perhaps you were not fully attentive to the road. With proper skill & training, you can start again.
Read More: How To Stay True To Yourself
7. Don’t go for Perfection
To overcome fear, start trying it like a novice. Don’t have any expectations from it in your mind. Do it with a sense of curiosity & don’t worry about the result. Learning not to review an outcome as good or bad will take the fear of failure out of the question. Instead of going for perfection, go for a scope to learn.
Conclusion
We all have various kinds of fears in our minds. There is nothing to be ashamed of. But a real courageous person is one who calculates the benefits of courage & takes necessary & proper steps to overcome the fears that are lurking inside. Real courage is not dashing to fear blindly but accepting & analyzing the fear & going forward to win over it.
