What does “you have arrived” mean? You have arrived means you stop sabotaging your life by worrying too much to prove your worth. For my work in courage, to know “you’ve already arrived...” means the person lives a “courage-centered” life—it’s intentional, and declared from the heart!

The most critical issue as you embrace this forgotten virtue is to give yourself permission to claim your everyday courage—not the media’s angle of sensational, amazing, tragic or scandalous types of headlines, but the type that allows you to brand your special style. When self-doubt creeps in, ask: “How can I act with courage?” The way to access your courage is to pause and reflect. Ask another question: “How do my scripts confirm my False Self (the incessant chatter of the ego) and bind me in my mind-created fear? For example, “One day I will be a pro/ready/skilled to ....?” Then determine how courage can differentiate you and showcase your talents.

Scripts keep you stuck, so where are you stuck? Until you take time to stop and reflect, to let go of attachments such as consumer gadgets and/or the self-identification of “busyness,” most of us will remain in our StuckThinking™ patterns. Staying stuck in our scripts keeps us doing the same thing over and over. When a host of difficulties comes your way a courageous person refuses to give up in spite of the obstacles. But, what’s the benefit of this energy?

A symbiotic relationship merges when you combine your personal courage and your intention. This says you witness courage at its best—a contagious antidote! Overall, the assessment that I hold is our culture perpetuates pitching courage and fear against each other. This pitching is the ego's creation of duality such as good/bad, pretty/ugly, smart/dumb or courage/fear. I always think of the John Wayne quote that epitomizes and enables this dualistic belief and brands courage as bravado: “Courage is being scared to death...and saddling up anyway.” For me, a centered heart has no fear (unless a rattlesnake is looking you in the face or you’re alone at night in a parking lot and you sense harm. Someone said, “One cannot discover new oceans until he [she] has courage to lose sight of the shore.”

How will you choose to design your courage to advance in your true work? If you have to work, make it your Truth. In Truth, you will find your passion. With unceasing zeal, declare what I call a “Declaration of Courageous Intention” and use this tool as a compass on your life’s journey. What matters most is that you take positive action, now, to declare your intent.

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Sandra Ford Walston is known as The Courage Expert and innovator of StuckThinking™. She is an organizational effectiveness consultant, speaker, internationally published author of bestseller COURAGE, trainer and a courage coach. She is certified in the Enneagram and MBTI®. Please visit www.sandrawalston.com.

Sandra Ford Walston, The Courage Expert

Innovator, StuckThinking™

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

© Sandra Walston

All Rights Reserved

Now that I shared my rookie story in my previous blog about confronting Mr. Big Shot, what is the key ingredient to my life lesson? Courage! Don’t ever consider selling your soul or swallowing your voice for a piece of business, even if it looks like “the big one!” The key to securing the right type of business is to understand the kind of courage that supports effective leadership. I don’t mean bravado or physical courage but the kind of day-to-day courage that invaluable business leaders employ consistently—everything from speaking up during a company meeting to overcoming an obstacle that hinders professional advancement. These small instances often create the defining moments of a person’s career.

Most people mistakenly believe that courage is only relevant during particularly perilous times. As a result, they don’t perceive the courageous nature of exploring new ideas, confronting gossip, transitioning to a new career, transcending rejection or taking the initiative to spearhead change. In reality, each person has the capacity to be a courageous leader regardless of his or her position! Whether you’re a graphic designer, sales executive, dental assistant or the CEO, how you confront workday issues and contribute to your own professional advancement speak volumes about your personal courage and set a leadership example others can follow.

So what makes the difference? The difference lies in understanding the deeper meaning of courage, which comes from the French word corage, meaning “heart and spirit.” In other words, acting with courage is really about acting from your heart and spirit—from the center of your being. By identifying with your true heart-and-spirit Self, you claim the courage that empowers you to overcome personal limitations—the kind of limitations that prevent us all from providing effective business leadership. Since our limitations vary widely, each of us must reflect on our own life lessons in order to recognize the misperceptions and attachments that keep us stuck in our false identities and counterproductive patterns.

So what happened to my career at this bank? I kept my job. In fact, I quickly learned banking processes and regulations and advanced to assistant vice president. Eventually, I became vice president of private banking, and throughout it all, I never regretted a single courage-based decision that I made.

I would love for you to share your courage comments by posting them below.

Sandra Ford Walston is known as The Courage Expert and innovator of StuckThinking™. She is an organizational effectiveness consultant, speaker, internationally published author of bestseller COURAGE, trainer and courage coach. She is certified in the Enneagram and MBTI®. Please visit www.sandrawalston.com.

Sandra Ford Walston, The Courage Expert

Innovator, StuckThinking™

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

© Sandra Walston

All Rights Reserved

One of the first life lessons of my career also made the biggest impression. Maybe you recall one of those types of stories in your life.

I had taken a job as an entry-level business development officer for a small start-up bank in West Los Angeles. My job responsibilities consisted of qualifying, securing and transferring profitable clients in the bank’s target market, perhaps the most important part of the business for a start-up. Thrown into the fire without any bank training, I learned the hard way—by making cold calls on prospective clients. Nonetheless, I had to show my boss, the president, that they had hired the right person to bring in lucrative businesses. The only problem was that I didn’t know how to assess a “profitable piece of business.”

Thirty-Fifth Floor

Less than a month into my new job, I was referred to a prospective “big” client. His office was located in an upscale section of the city on the thirty-fifth floor. Dressed in a polished business suit and carrying a leather briefcase, I introduced myself and handed my business card to the man in the stiff, starched white shirt. I was in awe of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and the huge, spacious office space for one person. He took my card and said, “Well, normally I don’t meet with anyone below vice president.” He then proceeded to tell me about the “wonderful” and “profitable” piece of business he might consider transferring to our new bank.

The tone of the meeting made me nervous, and I began to wonder if Mr. Big Shot really fit the client profile that the bank was looking for. The longer he pontificated, the more questions he raised in my mind. When he finally finished his sermon of self-importance, he looked sternly at me and said, “So, what do you think about this possibility?” I had taken copious notes in anticipation that I would go back to the bank, share the information with my boss and be guided by his experience; but Mr. Big Shot said that I needed to make the decision, right now!

In that moment, unsure if my mind was analyzing the scenario correctly, I decided to ignore the fears of losing an important client and draw upon my personal courage. I said, “I don’t think this opportunity will be a good fit for us.” I immediately got up from my chair, picked up my briefcase and said, “Thank you for your time.”

He was so angry with me that, as I walked toward the office door, he literally got in my face saying, “This can be a small town. I’ll remember you and make you regret this!” He did this all the way to the hallway that housed the elevators.

Wow! Now what would I do? I had no idea if I had screwed up or done the right thing! As I approached my car I could feel myself shaking as I began to wonder: “Will I be fired? Will I be blacklisted?” I called the bank president and when Baird picked up the phone, I said, “You’re either going to be pleased with my decision in this prospect meeting, or you’re going to fire me today!” He said, “Hold on, I’m in a meeting with [Chairman of the Board] Joel and [Vice President] Sue, and I’m going to put you on speakerphone. What happened?”

Oh my! I had to rely upon my courage once again. Barely able to breathe, I told the story. All three of them immediately cracked up laughing! They recognized that Mr. Big Shot was little more than a self-important bully and not at all the type of client with whom they wanted to associate. The reaction from my boss left me feeling thankful that I stuck to my courageous will and took the appropriate risk to assert myself throughout this challenging moment.

Join me next time to learn the ingredient to my life’s lesson.  

I would love for you to share your courage comments by posting them below.

Sandra Ford Walston is known as The Courage Expert and innovator of StuckThinking™. She is an organizational effectiveness consultant, speaker, internationally published author of bestseller COURAGE, trainer and courage coach. She is certified in the Enneagram and MBTI®. Please visit www.sandrawalston.com.

Sandra Ford Walston, The Courage Expert

Innovator, StuckThinking™

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

© Sandra Walston

All Rights Reserved