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Live Courageously!

August 14, 2012 by leapforward 7 Comments

This edition is about Living Courageously: taking bold leaps of faith in the major areas in your life. By overcoming fear, you can empower yourself to transform your life into one which is meaningful and truly fulfilling.

I hope you find at least one idea to inspire and encourage you.

Warmly,

Melanie Ott

Inspirational Quotes

Leap and the net will appear. (Zen Saying)

Courage is resistance of fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. (Mark Twain)

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. (Anais Nin)

Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have. (Unknown)

Live Courageously: Leap Forward

Mastering Your Life through Action

How many times have you decided to do something … and then didn’t follow through? It’s wonderful to dream, visualize, and create plans, but to achieve success you have to make the choice to do something. Living your best life may require making big changes in your career, relationships, home, or health. Change can be scary because it creates uncertainty. But just because you can’t predict the future doesn’t mean you have to wait and see; instead, wait and do. Keep busy in productive and gratifying ways as events unfold.

Dale Carnegie, motivational speaker and author, once said: “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breads confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Leap Now: Taking the First Step

Leaps of faith begin with passionate ideas, focused goal setting and positive thinking, but sooner or later you have to take action. My advice is to act now. You don’t have to know everything you’ll need to know to achieve your goals or meet your challenges. Do something. Start moving. Action creates excitement, builds momentum, and produces progress. As Martin Luther King said, “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Living courageously requires action and small leaps of faith.

Some of you know that I recently left my safe and secure part-time HR position after fifteen years. A career opportunity presented itself that would allow me fully pursue my passion for executive, life, and career coaching. Even so, I deliberated for months. I applied all the decision-making processes I use with my clients: I looked for alignment with my life purpose and career vision. I listed the pros and cons and best and worst case outcomes. I shadowed the position, and talked with friends and family. I am the first to admit there are no sure things in life, and yet this seemed like the right opportunity at the right time. I did my due diligence, then listened to my head, which said, “It looks good, I think you should consider making a move.” My heart said, “Let’s do it!” Always one to lean towards my heart, here goes — hopefully onward and upward!

Facing Failure: Getting Back Up When Life Knocks You Down

Failure is a part of life. As the famous quote from the inspiring movie A League of Their Own says, “If it was easy, everyone would do it!” The ability to face fears and <ahref=”https://leapforwardcoach.com/grit/>grittily persevere separates the good from the truly great. The rapper Dessa recently spoke about using failure as a tool for self awareness, “If you pursue only those goals you know you’re really, really likely to achieve, you live like an iceberg with the vast majority of yourself undiscovered and unknowable, even to yourself.” In other words, be action-oriented, test your abilities, and determine your limits. Know that you might come up short or even fail. Use these experiences to learn more deeply about yourself.

So what happens when what you feared comes true? Acknowledge that every experience, the good, the bad, and the ugly, broadens horizons and creates new possibilities. Even a failure brings new experiences and builds resilience. Next, pinpoint what went wrong and why. Use the lessons learned to energize and guide you towards your ideal future.

Safety Is A Prison

Maintaining the status quo often seems like the safest course of action. It feels easier to avoid a friend than to pick up the phone and hold a difficult conversation. It can feel more comfortable to accept the frustrations of a dead-end job than to explore opportunities elsewhere. Failing to take action, however, creates a prison of safety. We become afraid to break free from the known, the secure, the present. Learn to live courageously by shaking off the prison of safety and moving forward to the life you want to lead.

Tips for Living Courageously

One of the most important steps in living courageously is taking action. Fear causes paralysis; forward movement gets you closer towards your life vision. Use these practical tips to inspire you to take a leap forward to bigger and better things.

  • Practice “random acts of bravery.” Try something new or different on a regular basis. Making it a habit to break out of your comfort zone builds confidence and makes you a more interesting person. It’s easy to build excuses in support of doing the same thing day after day. Instead, seize the moment, allow yourself to take leaps of faith, and be amazed at what the universe may provide!
  • Make an action list. Last month we discussed visioning as an inspiration to action. Similarly, creating a list of next steps, like signing up for a class, making a phone call, submitting a resume, or going on a date, can empower you to take control of your life instead of just allowing it to happen.
  • Take the first step. Setting targeted goals and developing detailed action plans certainly supports goal achievement but sometimes figuring out the next step and taking it may be all you need to stop procrastinating and propel into action.
  • Embrace accountability. It is tempting to protect yourself by keeping your goals and aspirations locked away inside your head. There is vulnerability in sharing these with others, but also strength. Reach out to your support network. Share your fears with a friend who will gently remind you of your strengths; share your ambitions with a mentor who will encourage you to stay the course towards your dreams.
  • Live in alignment with your values & purpose. True freedom from fear springs from the belief that your actions are grounded in your values and life purpose. Live courageously, set goals, and take actions in support of what you believe in and who you want to be.
  • Look before you leap. Caution can be a helpful tool when it comes to taking leaps of faith as long as it doesn’t hold you back from living the life you truly want. Rather than relying on blind faith, apply informed faith. Assess the situation, consider benefits and risks, and make as informed a decision as you can.

Further Reading on Courage

  • Living Courageously: Here’s How (Psychology Today)
  • Should You Take A Leap of Faith? (SFGate)
  • Courage: Tap Greater Potential and Thrive Through Challenges (Inc.)
  • Goal Setting: Taking A Leap of Faith (Wings For the Heart)
  • Success Is Not Final, Failure Is Not Fatal

Focus on the Future …

How can you take a leap of faith to create a better life and career? Learning to manage fear and cultivate courage for long-term success is a rewarding process that results in personal achievement and deep satisfaction.

At Leap Forward Coaching we have a process that will empower you to move bravely and boldly towards your best life. We help you develop the character needed to overcome obstacles, confront your fears, and work to your strengths to learn how to lead a more fulfilling, successful, and rewarding life.

Complimentary Coaching Meeting

If I have piqued your curiosity about the value of coaching for you or someone you know, please contact me for a complimentary coaching meeting to explore what coaching can do for you.

Explore what coaching can do for you!

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think it might benefit. To make sure you continue receiving these emails without interruption, please add Leap Forward Coaching to your email contacts.

Email Leap Forward Coaching at: melanie@leapforwardcoach.com
View Leap Forward Coaching’s website at: www.leapforwardcoaching.com

© 2012, Leap Forward Coaching

Filed Under: Archive Newsletter, Dreams For Success, Focus on the Future, Life Purpose, Living Courageously, Resilience, Zen Habits

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Be Honest with YourselfLeap Forward Coaching | Leap Forward Coaching says:
    September 12, 2012 at 9:52 am

    […] Live Courageously! […]

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  2. Move From Surviving to ThrivingLeap Forward Coaching | Leap Forward Coaching says:
    June 7, 2013 at 5:00 pm

    […] Live Courageously! […]

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  3. Think Big! | Leap Forward Coaching says:
    October 27, 2013 at 9:05 pm

    […] require building new friendships, ending old ones, or setting boundaries. Maybe it’s time to take a leap of faith and make a big change in your personal life or […]

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  4. Practice Patience | Leap Forward Coaching says:
    May 13, 2014 at 4:27 pm

    […] share the importance of being proactive in shaping your life — from cultivating creativity to living courageously. In this edition I share something that can be infinitely harder but just as rewarding as taking […]

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  5. Positive Minds, Positive Lives | Leap Forward Coaching says:
    April 26, 2015 at 10:41 pm

    […] needed to start my coaching business full time. Without that experience I may never have taken the leap of faith to leave my job and run my own business. A bad situation lead me to a great new […]

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  6. Live Boldly: Life Larger than Your Fears | Leap Forward Coaching says:
    June 7, 2016 at 9:51 am

    […] The  choice is yours.” The idea isn’t to eliminate fear; it’s to feel fear – then respond with courageous action, moving forward despite your […]

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  7. Have Faith | Leap Forward Coaching says:
    October 13, 2016 at 10:23 am

    […] Trust but verify. Faith isn’t an excuse to act rashly. Be sure to conduct your due diligence before taking a significant leap of faith. […]

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