Your Mirror of Courage

YOUR MIRROR OF COURAGE

July 22, 2020
 

My early July Blog, “Acts of Courage,” was just a warm-up. Let us look a little deeper. In fact, let us stand up and look in a mirror. If you do not have a full length mirror handy, use your imagination to see yourself.  

This is an exercise I love from our Certified High Performance Coaching^™ Program. Stand in front of the mirror and see yourself as your most courageous self. What do you see – in the mirror or in your mind's eye?   

Be specific.

• Are your feet solidly planted on the ground, with your feet shoulder width apart? You are not on your heels – or leaning back, right?
• Are your shoulders straight and your posture erect, like you have an imaginary cord pulling you up to the ceiling? Your shoulders are not slumped, you are not hunched forward, right?
• Are your hands expressive, reaching out, palms open and inviting? Your arms are not crossed, or rigid at your side, or behind your back, or in your pockets, right?
• Is your chin slightly tilted up? Your chin is not pulled down or drawn back, right?
• Are you smiling – with your mouth, your eyes, and your entire face? Your facial expression is not deadpan, or quizzical, or frowning, or doubtful, right?
• Your eyes are clear, focused, and connected with the person or your audience. Your eyes are not looking up at the ceiling, or to the sidelines, or off into the distance, right?  

Keep looking and adjusting and seeing your most courageous Self. This is you as your own Coach. You can always be there coaching yourself for your next challenge. THIS is your Mirror of Courage!

Bank your image in your mindset so you can call it up any time you are preparing for a new challenge.  Perhaps you have a major sales pitch tomorrow – or a real estate showing. Maybe you have a difficult conversation this afternoon with a partner, a friend, a business associate. What if you are teaching your dog a new habit? How about that doctor's appointment or scheduled procedure? Or, there may be a contentious situation where you are trying to help people find common ground. The list of challenges goes on and on and on. That is Life. 

Look into the mirror again! Do you see yourself coming from a place of love? As Paulo Coelho says, “An act of courage is always an act of love.”  

When you believe that courage is truly is an act of love -- your body language changes. You are not fearful, aggressive, egoistic, tense, or uncertain of yourself and your convictions.   

A wonderful poet and author, David Whyte, is eloquent in the chapter on the word Courage in Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words, when he writes: 

“Courage is the measure of our heartfelt participation with life, with another, with a community, a work; a future. To be courageous is not necessarily to go anywhere or do anything except make conscious those things we already feel deeply and then to live through the unending vulnerabilities of those consequences. To be courageous is to seat our feelings deeply in the body and in the world; to live up to and into the necessities of relationships that often already exist, with things we find we already care deeply about; with a person, a future, a possibility in society, or with an unknown that begs us on and has always begged us on. To be courageous is to stay close to the way we are made.”  

Personally, I believe Courage is within each of us. When we look within – I believe we connect with Love. That is exactly why you see it in a person’s body language, how they move, how they express themselves. You know when a person is speaking from their heart. Do you agree?   

So, let us use the energy of love that is in each of us to infuse and inspire and live with feeling our acts of everyday courage. For example, when you smile with your entire face – rather than a tight, sarcastic smirk – your body and mind automatically respond. Your energy shifts, you have a higher resonance or vibration – you feel it and everyone around you feels it!  

In my early July Blog, I invited readers to reflect and identify your personal list of acts of courage over the last four months. I shared my short list. Simply sharing my list -- putting myself "out there" -- was itself an act of courage for me. I trust you have written down your own personal acts of courage. I trust it gives you confidence and inspiration.  

Now – let us look ahead to the next 60 days or the final six months of 2020. Let us ask:  

What are the three areas in my life – either professionally or personally – where I am committed to take bold action – where I am committed to being courageous? 

When I am committed to taking bold action, I  write those actions down in my planner or my journal. I set my intention every day, every week, and every month to follow-through on my commitments to take bold action.  This is exactly my recommendation for you, dear Reader. 

Now, as you plan, prepare and practice taking bold action – call to mind your Mirror of Courage, your image of your courageous Self, as your best Coach. Feel it and see it in your body language.    

Our bold actions truly are an expression of love. 

Till next time,  

 May you be happy now and always.