“Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.”

-Brené Brown

Do you have the courage to pursue your dreams?  It is not always easy.  Though society sometimes gives the message of the importance of reaching for your dreams and going bigger and higher, there are also the contradicting messages that your environment and community may be sending your way.  Those messages are more along the lines of stay safe, don’t color outside the lines, don’t make mistakes, no room for error, don’t draw attention to yourself…  Yikes with such conflicting messages it is no wonder that many of us sit paralyzed wanting to go for the life we really desire and at the same time knowing that we will most surely experience bumps, barriers and even failures along the way.  The price seems too high to pay.  Better to stay in an uncomfortable but known place rather than risk the pain of adventuring into possibility, right?  Well, not really!

I was gifted a beautiful perspective on this the other day while taking the Paris metro.  (It is amazing the insights you can have simply by opening up to seeing what life wants to show you in every day experiences.  Try seeing what messages you are being given today.)  As I was walking up to the train platform I heard a tick, tick, tick sound.  I turned to see where the sound was coming from and saw  a young, pretty woman with a white stick tapping her way out before her.  It was apparent she was completely blind, not just partially, by the way she moved and the way she tapped out her surroundings.  I felt a wave of gratitude for my own sight and deep admiration for this young woman not letting her limitations hold her back.

My focus turned back to the arriving train.  I then felt a tap on my heel and realized the young woman was now behind me as she felt out her distance and calculated her next movements to get on the train.  As we boarded, I felt overwhelmed as I understood the courage it must take for a sightless person to wander out into a world that has so many possible hazards and countless unknowns.  I questioned if I would have the same courage.  It would take a massive amount of faith in yourself, trust in others, and belief in the good of the world.  I felt so grateful for this moment.  I sent her loving, supportive and appreciative thoughts as I understood what a wonderful lesson this slice of life had offered me.

Seeing this young woman conquer obstacles of a level of difficulty that I could not even imagine,  made me understand many of my “problems” were not even real problems and those that were could be solved with a bit of dedicated action taking and belief that all would work out for the highest and best.

What are you allowing to hold you back?  When you consider what other people must overcome to pursue their dreams or, as in this young woman’s case, perhaps simply just get by day to day, are your barriers really that insurmountable?  How could you up your courage quotient so that you take that first step?  It is always the first step that is the most intimidating.  Imagine taking that first step out into the dark and then the next and then the next, it gets easier and you gain confidence with each foot forward.  Try it today!  Make that first move and thank the young woman on the metro train for helping you see that you too have that kind of courage just waiting for you to tap into.

p.s.  if you are ready to take a first step towards your big dream, why not try the Spring into Action Challenge?  It is 7 days of full-on action taking and it is my gift to you!