Courage

Day 35 / 366

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

I heard something in a podcast today that resonated with me and how I live my life, how faking courage is the same thing as having real courage. If you are faced with problems in life, and you are filled with fear, still choosing to face the issues head-on, is being courageous. Even when you might be afraid deep inside.

All my life, I have always had this faith in myself that no matter what happens, I will survive. People or situations can beat me down as much as they want, but I will always find a way to get back up. Even if I am scared, even if I am lost or I don’t know what to do. I will keep showing up. I will persevere.

True courage is not the absence of fear, it’s the determination to act despite it. I might not be devoid of fear, but I am glad that I kept fighting.

People say that the beginning is half done. I disagree. These days I find that starting new things is not that tough. It’s seeing them through till the finish line that takes real effort. Because life will give you 100s of reasons to give up. And most of the time no one will even know that you failed. And even if you continue, you know that 99% of the time you will fail. It takes something special to continue and finish what you started.

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”