On Courage

Where does courage come from? Is it easy to be courageous? If you have the courage to do things other people think are scary but are merely exhilarating to you, do you really need courage to do it? For example, I like to zip line. It's just scary enough to be exhilarating, but I'm not fearful. It would take little courage on my part to do it, while someone else might have to be very courageous. It takes more courage to do something one is afraid of than something in which one has no fear. I respect those who are more afraid but choose to try it anyway.
 
This weekend, I hosted a ladies garden party. I’m new to the neighborhood and I invited all the women in the subdivision to the afternoon party. It scared me to death. I’ve never had a large group of women to meet with and I’m finding I’m at a new stage in my life where I’d like to make this happen. But oh, those old dialogs that run through my head are hard to shake. What if no one comes? What if I say the wrong thing? What if my set-up isn’t lady-like enough? What if they hate me? What if…
 
Why can’t I just move forward boldly like I’ve tackled other things? I tried a new recipe for the party- it didn’t bother me that it might not turn out perfectly. I hadn’t replaced a faucet before, but faced it head-on with a sense of humor when I realized I was using pliers instead of a wrench in my attempt to loosen the bolts.
 
The party turned out just fine, and the ladies seemed to appreciate both me and my efforts. All that worry was for naught. I think I will have some new friends from the party as well. I’d call that a success. It took a ton of courage for this introvert to put myself out there and even have a party. The fear of rejection was real as was the exhaustion of being in a large crowd (of 20!). I wasn’t comfortable. But I feel comfortable now calling on some of the women individually and growing friendships from there. Having a little courage and discomfort is already paying off as I met three of the women for breakfast recently.
 
I urge you to find your courage to try just one thing out of your comfort zone. What was it? How has it paid off for you? 

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