The Definition of Courage
…and why courage isn’t what you think it is
In This Edition:
Create your affirmation for courage
Create your own magic
Create joy
…plus photos from the Red Sea
An affirmation for courage
If you follow me on Instagram, you might’ve been wondering why I was kite-surfing in Egypt last week. It wasn't just another adventure – it was a journey through fear, a dream ‘work-trip’ and an on-ramp to flow-state.
I was invited to the Red Sea to guide a meditation & workshops on leading from the heart, all while learning how to kite-surf. The summit's theme? Facing fear to grow. For a week aboard two yachts, that's exactly what 35 entrepreneurs, athletes, and business owners did.
The big takeaway? Courage isn’t about facing fear. It’s about aligning with the heart
What is courage?
While we now define courage as controlling fear—or acting despite it—I was most inspired by the Latin definition that another guide shared on board.
Courage comes from the Latin word "cor," literally meaning “heart.” The original meaning was to live from one's heart: to have your thoughts, words and actions align with what makes your heart sing.
To have courage, then, is not just facing fear. It's being so darn clear on who you are and what you believe in — meaning, you’re connected to your heart — that your actions follow, despite fear. To have courage is to have heart — to know what the heart wants and move through our fears with bravery to honor what we believe in.
Brené Brown defines courage as, "To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart."
Courage comes naturally when you're fully aligned. Let’s take my mom as an example. She was terrified of driving on the highways. But when her oldest daughter was sick as a freshman in college, you better believe she drove 3 hours on a whim to bring her soup.
Was there fear? Of course.
But her heart drove right through it.
If fear arises around something disconnected from your values, it’s hard to find the will to move through it.
But when you're aligned? Fear becomes fuel.
And when we move through fear, we grow more into the person our heart is calling us to be. Learning to kite-surf stretched me. It was a practice in strengthening my courage muscle, knowing that I am at my best on the other side of fear.
A song for JOY
This weeks’ song is a reminder that your growth and healing journey can be JOYFUL.
When you commit to becoming your most authentic self, you will be served some challenging growth and healing
opportunities…
And you can still be joyfu
l, playful, and have fun along the way.
So this week’s song is meant for nothing else but a midday moment of JOY.
I dare you not to dance while listening!
A practice for Creating Magic
So, how did I get invited on board a boat to guide meditations & workshops? It was a practice in creating pure magic. This opportunity flowed to me after borrowing one of my own favorite coaching tools. The best part? Anyone can do this. So I want to share it with you, Michelle, as a way to bring alignment and expansion to your next chapter.
I got clear on
What I love (being on the water, in community)
What I'm good at (guiding high-performers through transformation)
What the world needs (a heart-centered approach to life) and
How I make a living (offering 1:1 and group coaching)
What is Ikigai?
I was able to see and attract this aligned opportunity. Et voilà: I spent a week on board a boat.
I call this taking aligned action. The Japanese call it ikigai – your reason for being. It's simple with profound effects, expanding our minds to uncover opportunities hiding in plain sight. It's creating magic, rather than chasing it.
Dive deeper into ikigai in this Forbes article. Take time with this exercise – it's where the magic happens.
