Courage is the root that enables the other virtues to grow. When we boldly take a new step beyond our comfort zone, it empowers us to grow, learn, and adapt. When we tackle these challenges, our confidence and resolution expand. Perhaps we desire the strength to change careers, launch a business, write a book, or embark on an international trip.  Additionally, courage is required to set boundaries, to let go of that which is no longer serving us and be true to ourselves. What if courage is the prerequisite for the kind of fulfillment and happiness that creates the best version of ourselves?  I explore the virtue of courage during this almost nine minute minisode podcast.

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.” Maya Angelou

Podcast (Minisode) Transcript:

Thank you for joining us today at a View Beyond the Ordinary. I’m your host, Joline Lenz. I interview some courageous souls who share their extraordinary story with the goal of helping us pursue our bliss. Let’s get started and tune in. Thank you so much for joining me today at A View Beyond the Ordinary.

Today’s topic of this minisode podcast will be on the focus of courage.

Let’s begin with the definition of courage. Merriam Webster defines courage as mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. And courage is a noun.

To better illustrate courage, I’d like to share one of my favorite speeches that I’ve heard that I believe shares a great lens on courage by Ted Roosevelt when he delivered a speech that is sometimes referred to as the “Man in the Arena” speech. The date was in April of 1910, in Paris, France, and Teddy said this:

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes up short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

Isn’t that such an amazing description of courage? That’s probably why in Brene Brown’s book, “Daring Greatly,” she led with that particular speech.

Brene also talks about vulnerability in her book. Courage requires a lot of vulnerability. To stand out on a ledge and take that risk, or leap of faith when we make that change takes courage. For me, one of my most courageous moments was when, in 2008, I left a financially successful partnership recruitment business. I had begun to feel bored and began to have visions of wanting to do things a bit differently than my business partner and really pursue my own path.

So, I made this change and started HS International. In this business, I continued to recruit and place accounting and finance talent as I did formerly. After taking the first leap to launch the business, the larger leap happened near the latter part of 2009, when I transitioned from accounting and finance over into the mining sector.

Why did I pick mining? Especially given that I knew so little about this industry and have a degree and background in accounting.

Well, I had begun to meditate in 2008, and meditation was such a great tool to help me stay grounded, calm, and connect to a deeper wisdom within myself that I didn’t even know existed before meditation.

I had received intuitive guidance from many of these meditations that led me to explore mining. I followed this curiosity and decided to attend a Society of Mining Engineering meeting one evening. Following this meeting, as I sat in the car and shared this experience with a colleague, I teared up. While this exploration into the mining industry felt intimidating, and uncomfortable, it also felt that it had strummed a chord and a sense of feeling alive in me. And hence why I felt this sense of emotion and tears.

I made this huge decision at that moment, and I followed my intuition into the mining industry. So, I can relate to Ted Roosevelt’s speech. I had stepped into a new arena where I felt both excited and terrified at the same time.

What I did find though is that while we do step out on a ledge and feel alone, we may not actually be alone. I believe there is a force, a force that is unseen. And this force comes to our aid when we have the courage to pursue that calling or dream within us.

In my experience, this unseen force, what I refer to as God or the Divine, came to my aid in ways that really, looking back, are magical. As I followed my bliss, incredible synchronicities and fruitful meetings seemed to come about.

The late, Joseph Campbell, and I’m going to paraphrase him, says, when we follow our bliss, where there were walls, now there will be doors. And that is exactly what I experienced and one of the reasons I started the podcast, A View Beyond the Ordinary. I was curious to explore if this in fact happened to other individuals that courageously stepped out in pursuit of their dream or calling. Did they experience these types of synchronicities and support? I discovered that, indeed, many of my podcasts’ guests had similar stories. This helped to validate my own.

While I felt this divine support assisting me, it doesn’t mean that it was all roses without any challenges or hurdles. As I took new steps, I had plenty of falls along the way. However, these falls helped me stretch in new ways, learn new skills, and  I found it is so essential that we don’t be too hard on ourselves or compare ourselves. We can be our own worst critics at times, and for those naysayers out there, ask them to mind their own business.

For those of you who are taking steps in pursuit of your dream, calling, or letting go maybe of what is no longer serving you, I applaud you. You help us all see the value in taking those steps. Courage is a virtue I admire greatly.

In summary, I believe courage requires great vulnerability. We will fall, learn, stretch, and grow. Along the way, our creativity, skills, and understanding of ourselves will deepen. When I boldly stepped out in pursuit of this calling and followed my bliss, I felt such a sense of joy, wonder, and fulfillment. I am especially grateful for this ability we all have to connect to this beautiful divine love and wisdom. Now who doesn’t want more of that?

So, if you have a dream or a book you want to write or whatever step you feel guided to take, I hope that this minisode podcast helped give you a little bit more encouragement to take that leap of faith. Thanks, y’all for tuning in, and may you all be blessed.

Thank you all for joining us in this journey today. We are so grateful that you’re here and if you would like to connect to one of the guests, I always share their information in the show notes on my website, which is JolineLenz.com. That’s jolinelenz. And don’t forget to also subscribe to the podcast.

I’d certainly appreciate that, and I’m wishing you all much joy and fulfillment in your path ahead. Cheers, everybody.