Courage


"Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway." ? John Wayne

"Courage is the cliché hallmark attributed to the hero. I say cliché because people talk about courage as if it is some mysterious force only a hero is born with. Courage is a vague and fleeting concept for many people because they lack it themselves. People lack courage because they lack knowledge. They have no idea where the true source of courage comes from. Even worse, they don't know it and continue to live in fear. As Socrates pointed out, 'People not only don't know, but they don't know that they don't know.'

This is why so many people on earth live in fear. Fear of death. Fear of life. Fear of living their nightmares. And fear of living their dreams. Most people are followers because they lack self-confidence and live in constant fear. Anyone who is brave and can show them how to overcome fear, they follow and respect. But...anyone that reminds people of their own fear, they attack and abuse viciously! This is human nature in its lowest, animal form.

What is fear? Fear is the perception or misperception of the unknown. Perception of how we negatively view reality, but not reality itself. I once heard somewhere, a useful acronym for FEAR: False Evidence that Appears Real. The 'false evidence' being our own manufactured worries, doubts, and negative images often of events that haven't even taken place yet. William Shakespeare understood this principal well when he said, 'Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.'

The cause of fear is lack of knowledge. Therefore, 'knowledge is the antidote to fear' according to the great American hero philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. That is why heroes are brave souls. They immerse themselves with knowledge, plus knowledge, plus knowledge. Heroes know that they don't know, but are willing to learn. They are humble and learn from everyone regardless of rank or status. Leaders know their potential. Followers ignore their potential. Courage and self-confidence comes from knowledge and self-knowledge...

This being said, no human hero is entirely fearless. Great heroes are not born fearless and brave. Nelson Mandela had this to say about courage: 'I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it...I felt fear myself more times than I can remember, but I hid it behind a mask of boldness. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.'" [Excerpted from, "Psychology of the Hero Soul," by Sharif Khan, Chapter 16.]

Sharif Khan is a professional speaker, coach, and author of "Psychology of the Hero Soul," an inspirational book on awakening the Hero within and developing your leadership potential. You can reach him at sharif@herosoul.com or by visiting http://www.herosoul.com

The Hero Soul is available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fundraising, educational use, or honoring your heroes through reward and recognition.







Related News



Giants have motivation for repeat performance - Press & Sun-Bulletin

Boston Globe

Giants have motivation for repeat performance
Press & Sun-Bulletin, NY -Sep 3, 2008
By Tom Canavan • AP • September 4, 2008 EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- Winning the Super Bowl didn't remove the chip on the New York Giants' shoulder. ...
Giants Quickly Display Their Defensive ProwessWashington Post
Despite audibles, reliable defense keeps G-Men dangerousCBSSports.com
Giants to doubters: We're still SuperNew York Daily News
The Canadian Press
all 225 news articles

Hall to ride top form into NRL finals - Sydney Morning Herald

Hall to ride top form into NRL finals
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia -21 hours ago
The Sea Eagles aren't focussing on the prospect of winning the regular season battle, their motivation is avenging last year's grand final defeat. ...
Minor premiership is just thatThe Age
all 24 news articles

Djokovic Feels Fine, and That's Motivation Enough Against Roddick - Washington Post

USA Today

Djokovic Feels Fine, and That's Motivation Enough Against Roddick
Washington Post, United States -22 hours ago
By Liz Clarke Whether real or imagined, Novak Djokovic's list of ailments was so long just two days ago that Andy Roddick couldn't help but poke fun. ...
Angry Djokovic exacts revenge on RoddickCNN International
Novak Djokovic defeats Andy Roddick to set up semi-final showdown ...Telegraph.co.uk
Djokovic, angered by Roddick, beats him at US OpenThe Associated Press
Tennis-X.com - Most Valuable Network
all 2,603 news articles

Hillary Clinton’s New Motivation - Forbes

Hillary Clinton’s New Motivation
Forbes, NY -Aug 31, 2008
Now, she will have added personal motivation. Look to see Hillary pounding the campaign trail, hoping to fend off Palin’s bid to take what she views as ...

Billy Long's Motivation Was Power, Greed - The Chattanoogan

Billy Long's Motivation Was Power, Greed
The Chattanoogan, TN -8 hours ago
We don’t need a psychiatric evaluation to tell us what Billy Long's motivation was…..it’s called power and greed. Now he wants to play the blame game. ...

Need Structure? Army and Navy Academy Offers Structure and ... - MarketWatch

Need Structure? Army and Navy Academy Offers Structure and ...
MarketWatch -Sep 3, 2008
If your son needs structure and the motivation to reach his full potential, the Academy offers a unique opportunity to excel in Academics, Athletics and ...

Fire-Red Bulls rivalry second to points - MLS - Major League Soccer

MLS - Major League Soccer

Fire-Red Bulls rivalry second to points
MLS - Major League Soccer, NY -7 hours ago
But with the way things are set up in the Eastern Conference these days, the Chicago Fire have enough motivation going into Saturday's game against the ...


Giant upset puts motivation’s at Pats’ fingertips - Boston Herald

Ottawa Citizen

Giant upset puts motivation’s at Pats’ fingertips
Boston Herald, United States -Sep 4, 2008
By Gerry Callahan The ball stayed there on the side of David Tyree’s helmet like it was attached with Velcro, a play so strange and fluky that it still ...
History proves Bishop was once leader of the Brady BunchVancouver Sun
Preview roundupBoston Globe
We’re just saying…kicking off the Patriots' seasonKeepMEcurrent.com
all 126 news articles

Alonso shows talent as rain upsets title runners - ABC Online

SuperSport

Alonso shows talent as rain upsets title runners
ABC Online, Australia -1 hour ago
"For me now the motivation is not to win the races or the title but to do well, score points and help the team to beat Toyota. That is what keeps me going. ...
Fernando Alonso optimistic about Belgium Grand PrixTypically Spanish
all 68 news articles

(Is There) Motivation for VoIP Fuzzing - ITworld.com

(Is There) Motivation for VoIP Fuzzing
ITworld.com, MA -Sep 4, 2008
We (at PROTOS research) released our first free VoIP fuzzers in 2002, and were amazed by the success! Everyone seemed to immediately adapt them into their ...