I have written about fear in the past. It’s a subject I continually reflect on, as fear is an emotion that is a double-edged sword. In the absence of courage and action, fear can be the greatest inhibitor to our success. Yet, fear can also be a great accelerator toward success if we stand up to our fears and respond with courage.
When we think about the word “courage,” we think about first responders who rescue during times of disaster, a mountain climber facing nature’s challenges in ascending Mount Everest, or a professional athlete pulling off a clutch win at the end of an important game. Courage is the characteristic that compels people to face dangerous or challenging situations in spite of fear. People who are courageous take action regardless of their fears. Courage is not just about climbing a mountain no one has ever dared to climb, nor is it only about engaging in dangerous sports, risking life and limb in order to become a hero. Courageous people are not fearless; they do feel fear but simply release it by not dwelling on it.
Courage is not the absence of fear. In fact, courage requires fear. There is no need to be courageous if you aren’t afraid of something. There are plenty of things throughout the course of our careers and lives that we will fear. We wouldn’t be human if we did not experience the emotion of fear.
When you look at successful people who habitually face their fears, you definitely see an air of confidence about them. Courage comes to those who act—not to those who wait, or think, or wonder—but to those who act! Like other skill sets, courage can be developed, but courage cannot be acquired by attending a seminar or reading a book.
The only way to develop courage is by doing—by doing those things you fear.
When you do things that scare you, you will grow, and those things will slowly scare you less and less until you wonder why they even scared you to begin with!
Fear is something we have all struggled with at some point in our lives. Throughout my career, one characteristic I have observed in the most successful territory managers is their ability to demonstrate courage in spite of fear. These individuals are the first ones to volunteer to conduct a role-play in front of their peers during training sessions. These leaders are always taking action to move their business forward, never hesitating to approach a surgeon, ask for a referral, and request the order. It’s not that these salespeople do not fear things. It takes courage to be afraid and yet act.
You do not need courage when you sit down to have lunch because there is no fear present. It is when fear shows up that we have an opportunity to summon and experience courage within ourselves. I will say it again: courageous salespeople are not fearless; they feel the fear and simply release it by not focusing on it. They put their attention on more important things, such as their goals.
True courage demands daily practice. It requires us to reach deep down within ourselves and forget everything we have been taught, everything we know, and everything we fear in order to move forward toward our goals. Fear is a call to action. True courage demands that we get out of our comfort zones—it’s about stretching ourselves and not letting our own emotions get in the way of reaching greatness and fulfillment.
Be courageous today!
Look fear in the eye and act.
Don’t let fear overtake and consume you.
Don’t let fear win!
As Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
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