Courage is a buzzword I defined previously as:  To act without regard for perceived or actual personal risk.

Is there anyone alive who does not wish to be courageous?  For courage to be part of my character, I must develop to the point where I am habitually acting in a courageous way in both the big things and the small.  I have written that character:

• Begins with our thoughts.
• Our thoughts become our words.
• Our words lead to our actions.
• Our actions become habits.
• Our habits determine our character.
• Our character determines our destiny.

Based on this premise then, the first step in developing into a person who habitually acts in a courageous way, I must begin by thinking about what courage looks like in practice.

Image of Courage

Where Can I Find Examples Of Courage?

In The Movies:

As I write this, the theme music from Braveheart (yes, I want to be William Wallace) just came on my iPod.  I don’t believe in coincidences.  So now I must discuss William Wallace.  Why do I love that movie?

I witnessed a man who spoke out and acted out in the name of what was right despite the risk.  He led by displaying courage in his words and his deeds.  This in turn, inspired people around him to accomplish what they initially thought was impossible.

A vivid personal example of courage can break through the fear inside of others.

In The Military:

Instead of honoring one soldier by sharing his story of courage, I want us to think about every high school graduate who graduated and joined the military in the last 10 years.

In 1984, when I entered the military I truly did not believe I would see combat. Like a lot of my contemporaries, I felt that any combat would escalate quickly to a nuclear conflict and it would all be over.  Yes, I did go into combat in Iraq in 1991, but it surprised me.

For the past decade, 18 year olds continue to volunteer saying, “Yeah, I will likely get deployed into a combat zone where people will try to kill me, but I’m going to do it anyway.”

That is courage that should be honored and emulated.  Each one of these young men and women have said, “I am willing, no matter the risk to me.”

In Business:

Fear is the enemy of progress in almost any work environment.  Fear of reprisals from customers, peers and bosses often prevent people from making the choices that at least, are better for the company and at most are moral imperatives.

Some displays of courage I encountered in 20 plus years in the corporate world include:

• The sales representative who told his #1 customer he would not pay him a quid pro quo favor in order to keep his business.
• The sales representative who told me I was out of line when I kept bringing up an issue he fixed 12 months earlier.
• The teammate who turned in his counterparts for ethical violations and endured ridicule and criticism from both his peers and his boss.
• The manager who turned in his boss for pushing unethical marketing practices on the larger organization.

The Bottom Line:

If I want to become a person who habitually acts with courage, I must know not only the definition of courage, but also what it looks like in practice.  Examples of courageous acts are all around us.

I must pay attention when I see them.  The more I marinate my soul in character building examples, the more likely I am to act when my character is tested.

At the same time, if I want my children to know what courage looks like, I must help them identify it when they see it as well.

I must pay attention and learn from others. I need to let their examples of courage guide me and guide my children towards becoming more courageous in our everyday lives.

Question:

What act of courage from someone else inspired you to act courageously?