“To understand what I’m about to tell you, you need to do something first. You need to believe in the impossible. Can you do that?” — Barry Allen
This is the main character’s opening monologue in The Flash. A show you may have heard of, or even seen. While his words may seem irrelevant, they are the building blocks of life. In order for any of us to dream, we must believe that even in the darkest, foreign and scariest of times, good things can happen. We must believe in the impossible.
Although you may think something is too hard, or too much for you to handle, you can overcome it.
I, like the billions of people on this earth, get scared. Sometimes I let my own mind get in the way of doing things that I love. But what I’ve realized in my 15 years on this planet is that fear is just another reason to try harder. What you think of as insecurity or fault, can easily be your lifelong tool. Because it isn’t about what you don’t have, it’s about making the most of what you do have.
In order to understand what courage is, you must understand the factors it is comprised of. If it helps, imagine yourself climbing a pyramid. The only way for you to reach the top is by maneuvering your way around the steps below.
Note: I have divided these factors into three groups; fear, resilience, and confidence. This is not in any way expert approved but, my way of understanding courage and the feelings that go into it.
Fear
The ultimate challenge, and by far the hardest thing to grapple on your journey is fear. This day-to-day emotion and instinctive response tends to play a large role in our lives. No matter the danger we are in, we will experience biochemical (physical) and emotional effects relating to fear.
Biochemical Effects
Commonly known as your “fight or flight” response, these are the physical reactions our body conjures in times of crisis and worry. These effects include sweating, stuttering, increased heart rate, and so on. These reactions are essential for our long-term survival; they keep us regulated and help us stay alert.
Unfortunately, when we’re facing our fears head-on, these effects can put a strain on us. Picture someone who has a fear of public speaking. They’re most likely going to stutter or sweat.
Emotional Effects
The other reactions our body has to fear are our emotional responses. This is where anxiety, overthinking, and self-judgment come from. Most likely, you’ve been in a situation where you’re in no physical danger, but because you’re scared, you will psychologically create fictitious scenarios inside your mind. Imagine yourself right before going down a steep zipline. Even though you’re wearing a harness and safely buckled in, the fear that you’re facing will prompt you to freak out.
Now you may be wondering; how do I climb this first step of the pyramid? Well, there is no ‘right’ answer. You have to take a leap and believe that you can overcome whatever it is you’re facing. As cliche as that sounds, it’s the absolute truth! Courage isn’t about not being fearful. It’s about not letting your fearfulness stop you.
Resilience
By Merriam-Webster’s definition, resilience is the “ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change”. When you experience life’s challenges and keep moving forward, you automatically move up your internal “pyramid”.
Once you get to this point, it’s all about climbing over and over again. Like most rock climbers, when they miss a grip, they reach further and keep trying to lift themselves up. What you need to understand about rising above is that it will take a lot out of you, but it will make you feel amazing once you do it.
“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” — Nelson Mandela
Confidence
The last milestone in your journey is confidence. In order for you to reach the summit (highest point of the pyramid), you have to believe in the impossible! You must understand that in order for you to reach for those grips, you have to assure yourself that it is possible, that you can do it.
“When people are determined they can overcome anything.” — Nelson Mandela
While this is marked as the final factor of courage, there is no set arrangement. In all honesty, confidence is needed everywhere. When you’re working to conquer your fears, what do you think is pushing you to do it? Well, besides determination, it’s the confidence that lies within you. The reassurance that you’re providing to the situation is carrying you miles in the right direction!
Courage
Now that you’ve climbed the pyramid, it must feel good. You turn around, look down, and reflect on the challenges you encountered. In my opinion, this right here; everything you’ve accomplished is courage. Something to understand is that finishing the climb shouldn’t be the goal, starting it and sticking with it is what really matters. While practice makes perfect,
persistence makes personal growth.
The obstacles you are presented with can change you for the better or for the worse. It’s your choice to choose the path that pushes you towards greatness or deep sorrow. So to answer the title statement from the beginning, the thing that we most need and all have is courage. The 7.8 billion people on this earth all have things in common, one of them being the abundance of fears that affect us day-to-day. However, the thing that separates us all is our ability to rise above these fears and bounce back.
