Showing strength in the face of pain or grief or taking action that is frightening or might undermine your self esteem requires courage. Courage does not mean the absence of fear but rather ability to manage yourself appropriately when scared.
The practice of courage can be dramatic and inspirational or it could just be relatively mundane. Behaving with integrity often requires courage, that is doing the right thing even if it is hard to do so.
Anxiety
Circumstances do not lead us to worry. When we give way to anxiety or feel unease it is because we chose to allow ourselves to dwell on difficulty or troubles not about what is going on around us.
Exercising courage often simply means you focus on what really matters, that is your personal goals. Dwelling what might be or what scares us, which can be very real things, detracts from our ability to be courageous.
It’s about you
Acting courageously may result in the admiration of others, even being classified as a hero. This should not be a motivation for behaving with courage.
Being tenacious feeds your self esteem, that is behaving according to your personal values even in the face of potential adversity strengthens your inner peace. Ultimately you feel better about yourself.
The worst impact of succumbing to a bully is not immediate or imminent pain they may inflict but the lingering impacts on your self worth.
Standing by your personal convictions may cause you immediate pain and suffering. However, feeling good about yourself is something that will last through the long term, ongoing mental stability will far outweigh passing periods of physical pain.
