What does it mean to live courageously?
Why would you want to live courageously?
We all want happiness, peace, fulfilment, contentment, ease, harmony, health and well-being, including you, right?
Living more courageously can help you have all of these qualities, right now and forever.
The word courage comes from the latin word for ‘heart’ which is cor, the French and Spanish words for heart are variations; coeur and corazon. So to live courageously means to live from the heart and it is not the easy path, but it has to be better than living a lie!
These are my 9 keys to Living Courageously:
#1 Commit to living in alignment with your heart’s truth (aka your intuition/highest truth/spirit). Have and hold the intention that no matter what, you will listen to and follow the subtle messages of your heart, even if you don’t understand. Why? Because would you rather live half a life, someone else’s life or a life full of shoulds? Do you want to rest easy at the end of your life knowing you lived it fully, rather than regret not doing something?
#2 Know what it is you really, truly want in your heart. Not what ‘stuff’ you want, like money or a bigger house, but knowing what you desire deep down, who you want to be, how you want to contribute to others and the world, by listening to your heart (the combined wisdom of all of you).
#3 Face your fears and challenges with strength and grace. Life happens, other people do things that affect you, things don’t always go your way. Facing your fears, whether big or small, builds resilience and courage giving you even more confidence to trust yourself and live life your way. Stay positive, whatever is going on, your heart knows the truth and the truth gives you trust and faith – even in the tough times.
#4 Learn the lessons from what looks like a mistake or a failure. Know that every ‘failure’, struggle or challenge is making you stronger, testing your resolve and showing you the way (the easier, better or more joyful way). Its easy to crumble and lose your way, to feel disappointed, deflated or lose hope when something doesn’t go how you wanted it. Just remember that old saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” – it is true. Your challenges also give you depth of character making you more magnetic and interesting.
#5 Be authentically YOU. Stop caring what other people think. Make it more important that you feel good doing what you’re doing, that you honour and respect yourself, that you can look yourself in the eyes and feel proud of who you are. This isn’t about doing anything you want and not caring if you hurt others, its about not being shackled by the constraints of society, religion or culture. Those that are courageous forge new ways, discover new things, lead people into the unknown, not play it safe. Do things your way!
#6 Know your purpose evolves. Your life’s purpose is not a one-time, static thing or event. It is an ever-changing, emerging and evolving deep understanding of who you are and what you’re here to be and do in this lifetime. So, it can be hard to know what your purpose is. I’m still journeying through the million different pathways to getting clearer on what my purpose is about. Right now, I’m clear that I’m here to make a difference and make the world a better place, in my own life, by example and through everyone I come into contact with. It looks different all the time though and I’m getting used to understanding that my deeper purpose isn’t changing, just the expression of it.
#7 Start small and take small consistent steps. When you know the deeper meaning of your existence, you know what you really want to do, be or have, start taking inspired action towards that. Vision what you want, set goals, take action, make stuff happen. Say YES to what makes you feel alive, say NO to stuff that doesn’t. Find the courage to keep going, even when it feels like one step forward two steps back.
#8 Get support, don’t do it alone. Living courageously doesn’t mean being out there on your own, slaving away, struggling and having a tough time. Yes, independence is a good thing and an improvement on being dependent on others. But, being interdependent is the key. Supporting others and being supported, doing things together as a community for the good of the community. We are tribal beings, we need each other to thrive, not just survive. Plus its way more fun (and at times challenging) to be with others, to feel connected and like you belong.
#9 Expect Miracles. Just that, always expect good things to happen and they will 🙂
If any of this speaks to you, if this is how you want to live your life then join me and other courageous people in my new Facebook group: Living Courageously (now called Dare to be YOU!). Its a closed group where we can share ourselves, encourage and support each other to be our best. Click the link to join, read the guidelines and introduce yourself.
With love
Hils x
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