Courage

Courage is not the absence of fear, it is going forth in the face of it.

Every self-improvement book I’ve ever read has some instruction on eradicating fear. Fear, we are told, holds us back. Heroism is the marked by the willingness to sally forth regardless of fear. And while this is all true, it is not the whole story.

Emotions are not good or bad, they are indicators. Anger lets us know that a boundary has been crossed. Sadness is the reflection of deep attachment. Fear is a biological response that responds to danger. Fear keeps us safe.

We reside in our comfort zone most of the time and that’s normal. This is the place of predictability, but also allows us some measure of security because it is so familiar. When you’ve lived in your home for years, you can probably go from your bedroom to the bathroom sleepily in the middle of the night without the benefit of the light, you know the route, the places you might stub your toe, and where the doorknob is.

When we step outside our comfort zone, we find ourselves in the challenge zone. New learning happens in the challenge zone. This is the place where we try something new and growth occurs.

Sometimes we find ourselves outside of the challenge zone in a place called the stress zone. This is the place where our reptilian brain kicks in and starts sending red flags: DANGER! DANGER! There is no growth or learning occurring in this zone, we’re descending into fight, flight or freeze mode at this point.

I think Courage happens when we are able to coax ourselves into the challenge zone, and love ourselves enough not to overextend into the stress zone. Or, to recognize when we’ve overtaxed ourselves and allow ourselves to return to the place of comfort without berating ourselves.

Too much fear keeps us penned into safe little enclosures. We know everything in these enclosures, there are no surprises. But this box fear has us in ultimately can limit our growth, much like a plant that is root-bound in a pot that’s too small.

We are often quite resistant to looking our fears in the face. Perhaps it’s the archaic suspicion that by acknowledging that which we are afraid of will make us weak, or the worry that by naming our fear we will somehow call it to us.

What if instead of banishing the fears to the basement, we invited them to the dining table? What if we invited them to share a meal with the joys, sorrows, irritations and excitements in our life? They simply make up the unique imprint of who we are.

This month we’ll practice caring for ourselves so that we might nurture our courageous nature, we’ll look fear in the face and befriend it and create in partnership with it. This month’s meditation is one that I’ve found solace and strength in — it is a lightly adapted version of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Be the Mountain meditation.

We are shifting our Open Studio Session to the FOURTH TUESDAY of the month; we’ll look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, March 22nd from 7-8 PM CST.

SRB

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