Meaningless when it comes to virtue<\/p><\/div>\n

However, the process isn\u2019t easy. Courage requires being vulnerable, taking chances, entering the unknown. By its definition courage requires facing fear. It requires getting uncomfortable. It might not sound enticing, but as we all know, growth never occurs inside the comfort zone. Personally I think that exercising courage is one of the most invigorating and weirdly satisfying things we can do. <\/span><\/p>\n

Courage requires awareness and then willpower. Awareness of that doubting, fearful voice in your head, and then the willpower to do a manual override: to say \u2018yes I hear you, scared little version of me, but I\u2019m not listening to you this time, I\u2019m going through with it because it\u2019s something I know I want to do\u2019.\u00a0 As Mark Twain said “courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” (That’s a bonus quote, btw).<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I know mastering fear and forcing that manual override isn\u2019t easy, so I\u2019ve collated my favourite quotes to inspire you (and me) to take that chance and do whatever it is that you want to do, but don\u2019t yet<\/i> have the guts to.\u00a0<\/span>Some of the quotes may seem to be about big things like huge life decisions but courage can be exercised in many smaller decisions that make up our days. Make no mistake, bravery can be applied across levels. Here are a few examples:<\/span><\/p>\n

Macro:<\/strong>
\n<\/span>– Quitting your job
\n<\/span>– Breaking up with your girl\/boyfriend
\n<\/span>– Setting off to travel alone
\n<\/span>– Making a big financial investment for your future<\/span><\/p>\n

Metho:<\/strong>
\n<\/span>– Expressing your true feelings for someone
\n<\/span>– Standing on the side of the road and raising your thumb to ask for a ride<\/span><\/p>\n

Micro:<\/strong>
\n<\/span>– Saying hi to that pretty girl\/boy
\n<\/span>– Calling someone out on their bullshit
\n<\/span>– Saying \u2018no\u2019 to someone – (should ring true if you are a people pleaser or easily cave in to peer pressure)<\/p>\n

As you can see, courage isn\u2019t just about big boast worthy actions or life-changing adventures. You can be brave in just standing up to someone. You can be brave in doing whatever scares you, however small it might seem.<\/span><\/p>\n

So remember these quotes the next time you hear that doubting or fearful voice in your head and be inspired to stand up to that fear and stare it down. And after that success, don’t let up –\u00a0 remember, courage is like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.\u00a0<\/span>Here are my 7 favourite quotes to inspire courage and overcome fear…<\/p>\n

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1. A bit of advice given to a young native American at the time of his initiation:
\n<\/span>\u201cAs you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as wide as you think.\u201d
\n– Joseph Campbell<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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2.<\/span>To dare is to lose one\u2019s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.<\/span>
\n<\/span>-S\u00f8ren Kierkegaard<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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3. Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one\u2019s courage.
\n– Anais Nin<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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4. Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.
\n<\/span>– Andre Gide<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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5. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.
\n<\/span>– Helen Keller<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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6. The secret to happiness is freedom\u2026 And the secret to freedom is courage.
\n<\/span>– Thucydides<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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7. Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.
\n– Paulo Coelho<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Now I hope you’re geared up to kick some ass! But I’m sure I missed at least one awesome quote, so let me know and leave your favourite in the comments.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Courage is one of the most important virtues you can cultivate. It\u2019s an essential ingredient in living a life true to yourself, reaching your full potential, and realising true freedom. Yep, courage is a pretty big deal. Firstly, the good news. It\u2019s available to everyone. As a virtue, courage can not be bought at any […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10839,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[38,54,80,88,101,136,166],"class_list":["post-5321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","tag-bravery","tag-courage","tag-fear","tag-freedom","tag-inspiration","tag-motivation","tag-quotes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n