The courage that whispers is everywhere

What is courage?

Claude AI comes up with “the ability to act in the face of fear, danger or adversity.” Fear is a recurring theme in dictionary definitions, too. There are acts that invariably get seen as courageous. Climbing Everest without oxygen, perhaps. Those who carry out these conquests put themselves in danger, but do they have fears to overcome?

There’s the person who jumps in a frozen river or runs into a burning building to rescue someone. Those who do so without hesitation often don’t have doubts to overcome, however. It’s an instinct. They’re on autopilot. These amazing feats don’t seem to be about overcoming fear.

These actions can be something to aspire to, but we mustn’t let the big, loud examples of courage overshadow the daily occurrences that might go undetected.  Courage is all around you. Because we don’t know what goes on inside others, it can seem like more of a whisper, but it’s there.

It’s in the shy colleague who speaks up in the meeting with the senior leader, even though they’re terrified. It’s in the leader who decides to stand up for their team rather than take the easy, compliant way out. It’s in the individual who decides to talk to someone about what they’re ashamed of. It’s in the person who decides to wear the clothes that make them feel truly themselves, even when it’s not the norm. It’s in every insecure person who makes a change to their behaviour even when it feels supremely scary.

We might not even realise what a person needed to overcome to take action, but everyday courage is everywhere. What is courage to you? When have you needed to be courageous, whatever that looks like?

Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash