“Sharing an idea you care about is a generous way to change your world for the better.”
These are the words of Seth Godin whose marketing blog I find relevant for the ins and outs of staying positive and focused for life as well as for business. I share. That is how I moved from video editor to trainer. I love to learn, and then I love to share what I know. It never dawned on me that sharing what I know would be courageous. I actually don’t find that I know I’m being courageous until after I’ve done something like walking down the aisle by myself, changed my career from video editing to training and coaching, or went to Australia for six months to work.
By Carl-John Veraja [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
I don’t think being courageous is often obvious to the ones engaged in those acts. I think, at the moment, those acts are simply necessary. Courage, to me, is Julia Butterfly Hill sitting atop a tree to protect the California Redwoods and protest them being cut down. I am haunted by the sound of a neighboring tree being cut down in the prime of life, and the crying sound of the fall. I cannot tell you which documentary I watched but I encourage you to discover the story for yourself. Courage, to me, is Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior having a vision of not getting to the mountain top and continuing to lead this nation down the path toward freedom.
This has me wondering how often you might be courageous and not even 
realize it. Perhaps these are the talents you take for granted or the life-changing deeds that go unrecognized. I see it a lot with myself and with some of the people I know or coach: we don’t even realize the power of our own words. In some cases, it may be courageous for you to say what’s on your mind. In others, it may be courageous for you to hold your tongue. What you do may not seem to change the world as a whole, but if it changes your world or touches the life of one other person you have made a difference.
I challenge you: look at the life you’ve led and identify at least three courageous acts. Recognize and acknowledge that you did that. Then, in the next week, be mindful of all the times and ways that you continue to be courageous. How does that change your outlook on what you’ve achieved and what you are capable of doing next?
Resource List
The Legacy of Luna by Julia Butterfly Hill
Tales of the Revolution: True Stories of People Who are Poking the Box and Making a Difference by Seth Godin
Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World by Paul Hawken
Ethics and the Earth Missionary: Outlining Standards for Ecopsychology and Mindfully Inhabiting the Earth by Tiffany A. Dedeaux
Join Me for
Where I will cover the stages of change of transformation (including that of the butterfly) and help you put it into a plan to move forward with your life and share your gift with the world.
