...a monthly eZine

Dr. Pamela Armstrong
Psychologist, Therapist and Kolbe™ Coach

About Courage…

Maya Angelou has written that “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.”

I feel connected to this quote because of what we are experiencing right now in this country and on the planet. Things we thought were real and solid no longer look that way. The quick fix does not seem to exist  Individuals and families are being tested in many ways. It is challenging to figure out how to “live within our means”. There are some major wild cards in family budgets, especially those related to energy costs. “Experts” appear to be stuttering about the future and cannot seem to predict when conditions may start to improve.

Courage in this situation requires us to have the integrity to realize our own power to lead. First we need to lead ourselves, and that will make it easier for those around us to lead their own lives. Our thoughts are creative. They can create positives or negatives. There is tremendous power available to us when we feel surrounded by crisis.

To tap the power, it is good to remind yourself, or stop and redefine, what you are really committed to. In your best moments, you probably have a vision for the future. This does not have to make sense to, or be seen as realistic, by others.Vision has inspiration in it, and that inspiration may be only visible to you in the beginning--a part of your unique journey.

Within that vision, you can outline a priority, a mission, a need to fulfill. The best kind of mission provides opportunity and empowerment to others. In pursuing these aims, it is ideal if the effort shows a sense of compassion for humanity, and for the greater good.

It is so easy to become small-minded when we feel threatened. Survival instincts kick in and generosity can become an alien concept.
But to be courageous in these times is not the same as being brave. It is more like having endurance, I think. At least that’s how I relate to Maya Angelou’s quote.

So it may be good to visualize sending out enduring and positive vibrations into your family, your social networks, your friends, your coworkers. It may feel a bit lonely to do this if you are surrounded by people who are seeing no hope and no prospects. But I think that showing this type of courage will affect the beliefs of others in the long run.

Practicing the strength of our virtues when we are under pressure requires some real creativity. We have to step outside of the framework of fear, doubt and lack. We have to create our own map.  That probably requires that we embrace the facts (as unacceptable as they may appear) and refuse to feel sorry for ourselves. We need to be generous with each other, especially with the heart. We need to listen and share more. We need to realize that real happiness has been obscured from view by the many forms of recreational denial that somehow became quite popular along the way.

There is a story told of a woman who realized that her home was collapsing during an earthquake.  She managed to rush to an outer doorway and as she stood in that doorway, she looked up and saw only sky. She said that suddenly she felt freer than she had ever felt before.

We may experience grief and fear from losing our material comforts, but the most devastating losses of all are the things we can lose on the inside. Courage is where we stand up for what makes us three-dimensional in a world with too many cardboard cutouts (my term for false images). Courage is where we REFUSE TO LOSE what we stand for, in spite of the circumstances. And finally, courage is where we are relentless in holding elected officials accountable—with “eternal vigilance”—because that’s what a working democracy requires.

Thanks for reading ZigZag--

Pam

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Dr Pam is a psychologist, therapist, and Kolbe™ coach. She can be reached at www.instinctivecoach.com

Her office is located in Elkridge, MD. Her phone number is 410-995-0760.

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