Courage is granted to each of us equally, not just firemen, explorers and military heroes.  Like a muscle that will atrophy if not exercised, our courage is also strengthened and grows with use. Lucky are the children who have courage breathed into them by parents, teachers and role models during their formative years; surely they will navigate fear with more grace as adults.   However, it is never too late to tap into our reservoir of courage to align with the life our spirit is nudging us toward. Silencing our fears doesn’t happen by reviewing and analyzing them, but rather best done through small acts of courage in support of the outcomes we desire.

Fear is a powerful emotion.  Beyond just an emotion, fear is the most debilitating disease on the planet. It is worse than hatred and in fact may be the precursor to hatred. It is a stifling presence that keeps us from leaping, trusting ourselves and stepping into all that is in our best interest. Conflicts between races, countries and religions can often be boiled down to something born out of fear and lack of understanding.  And then there is courage, the powerful, contagious and energizing attribute which expands our lives.

Overwhelmingly, the majority of fears we spend so much energy worrying about never materialize. Knowing this and choosing to move through our fears takes us to a higher level of personal power in life. Persevering courageously through our fears gives us the opportunity to showcase our true character. The attitudes we hold and the actions we take when we are in that powerful state, make it possible to negotiate through what seems hard or even impossible.  Seeking to understand what may be unfamiliar, scary or threatening can transform fear into courage, compassion, or respect.  With that comes the knowledge that we do not need to fear what is foreign or uncomfortable to us, but rather try to grow in our understanding of these things.

Fear pollutes important decisions. It prompts someone to marry another they don’t love out of a fear that they won’t find someone better.  Fear keeps people from ending unhealthy or toxic relationships, from finding a life’s work that really jazzes them, starting a business, retiring, or moving to a new city. In caving in to our fear we are closing ourselves off from countless opportunities for joy and fulfillment.  Fear can scream so loudly that it makes it hard to hear what our soul really wants, but it is possible to hear beyond the head chatter of constant trepidation. Whether we are being called to step up with physical courage or moral courage our inner compass is clearly marked with our true north.  Understand that being prudent and cautious is different from being fearful.  Refusing to fly ever again because of security concerns is a decision steeped in fear. Jogging through Central Park during daylight hours rather than 11pm is cautious and prudent.  

Fears can be carried out to such extremes that it chokes the breath of life. It can keep you from healing, challenging yourself, growing and rising to your potential.  Courage is a sort of spiritual spine available to each of us to the measure we choose to use it.  Acts of courage infuse life with an unmatched aliveness worth vying for.

Boost Your Courage:
Visualize yourself successfully and happily doing the very thing you fear.  Include the pride and confidence that will bubble up when you visualize your triumph. Identify elements of your fear that can be positively impacted with your present day choices and preparation.  You are more able to positively impact an outcome than you may credit yourself. Investigate the roots of your fear to diffuse it. Perhaps an adult role model from your youth embodied a fear and passed it along to you. You may find your fear was not yours to begin with. Decide what would be a small step for you to begin overcoming your fear.

Outlining degrees of overcoming your fear will make the process much less daunting and boost your confidence. Plan a controlled scenario to face your fear. If you are afraid of dogs set up a situation through a trusted alliance to hold a sleeping puppy or a sweet, elderly lap dog. If it is driving over bridges you fear, find a small bridge to master and a friend to accompany you for support. Remember that courage is not the absence of fear, it is moving forward in spite of the fear.

We often tolerate mediocrity in the name of staying in a familiar place either physically or emotionally.  Refuse to let your dreams gather dust even one more day because “fear” or “habit” is taking its place.  Choose to move past those things to find the greater happiness waiting for you. You will find as you make incremental changes, that you, like the Cowardly Lion in the classic tale The Wizard of Oz, had an abundant reservoir of courage within you from the start.

Rena Reese, MS is an author, founder of Soul Salon International and instructor at The Mindfulness Center in Bethesda, Md. (www.themindfulnesscenter.com) In her latest book, The Soul Salon, readers enjoy what would equate to a year of personal life coaching as they learn about the path to awakening & bliss, living in alignment and enjoying a life of purpose.  For more information about her books or speaking, please visit www.SoulSalonInternational.com. 

Our ego loves stuff.

On the contrary, our spiritual-self has no attachment to anything because our divine-self knows it is not ours. Someday it will belong to another. Sure we use it while we are here, take care of it and perhaps admire it, but it will someday be another person's stuff, it is not really ours.

Material possessions make us feel many things at different times in our lives. Some may stir sentimentality, a sense of accomplishment, safety and even power. The man who holds his father's wedding ring in his hand the day he buries his dad will likely have an emotional stir unmatched by anything he's ever felt before. The accomplished business person who drives up to valet parking on the night of his high school reunion in a prestigious vehicle, has another feeling entirely. Our home and its contents-- from a couch to a set of dishes may make us feel secure and comfortable. Yes, we love our stuff and how it makes us feel.

Illusion. The ironic thing is that the more value you place on anything, be it a car, piece of jewelry or ___(fill in the blank)____, the more you leak your energy to it. You actually lose your personal power by being what is called "object referred", rather than being "self referred." Basically, do you believe you are wonderful because you are a divine creation or because you have a certain degree, own a particular car or have nice "stuff"?

Sadly, many people live beyond their means, basically creating debt to buy things that they believe will make them feel ten shades of wonderful. But the truth is that you are ALREADY ten shades of wonderful, even without your stuff.

Six Thoughts About Having More:

1. All of your possessions require energy to maintain. The nicer the thing, the more the energy it takes. If you had a 1978 Ford Pinto it would take less of your energy than if you had a 2009 Bentley. You would not only pay less to purchase, insure and maintain each of these, but you'd also spend a disproportionate amount of energy in finding a parking space considering if you car door will get doinked. The nicer the stuff, the more it requires from you.

2. Your "things" will never bring happiness to you. You may enjoy them immensely, but real bliss will never come from an object. We are just not wired that way.

3. If you wish to travel through life in a powerful way (not dominating, but rather awake and conscious) you will have to release an attachment to your belongings, which actually hemorrhages your energy to that thing. Is there something you own, that if I asked you to give it away (not sell, but give) that you would get hysterical about doing so? If yes, you are leaking energy to that thing.

4. Your ego will always want more. It is the nature of the ego to never be satisfied with the status quo. This has actually worked to the advantage of humanity since that is what has made any advance possible from space travel to the invention of the light bulb. But in terms of acquisition of material possessions, it works against you when you attach to the object.

5. Simplifying your life, boosts your power. How many email accounts do you have? How many cars do you have to insure, maintain, and drive to keep the battery from dying? Whether you have an art collection worth millions or a library full of precious books, more stuff takes more energy and attention to have and hold.

6. Do you use all of your stuff? I once heard the 80-20 rule. We only use 20% of our stuff and we store or hoard the other 80%. This sounds about right. Can you shed some of your 80% and get it into the hands of someone for whom it would be part of their 20%?

When you attach yourself to something outside your spirit, you weaken yourself. But when you detach there is unmatched freedom! (This is true in relationships too, the more you attach, the weaker you become.) HAVE nice things. ENJOY nice things. CELEBRATE the the nice things you own, just do this without an ATTACHMENT to them.

All the best!

Rena M. Reese
Founder, Soul Salon International

Rena Reese, M.S. is an author, founder of Soul Salon International and instructor at The Mindfulness Center in Bethesda, Md.  In her latest book, The Soul Salon, readers enjoy what would equate to a year of personal life coaching as they learn about the path to awakening & bliss, living in alignment and enjoying a life of purpose.  For more information about her books or speaking, please visit www.SoulSalonInternational.com.