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Courage means \u201cof the heart.\u201d But, unlike the heart, it\u2019s not something you\u2019re born with, it\u2019s something you learn and practice. This is the current understanding of courage according to the science underpinning exposure therapy, neuroplasticity, habit formation, and how courage works in the brain.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Many people think courage means not feeling fear when faced with danger. But that\u2019s fearlessness, not courage. A bomb disposal expert may not need much courage to defuse a bomb because they\u2019ve practiced and practiced, but the same person may lack the courage needed to give a speech at their mother\u2019s funeral. It\u2019s a matter of situation-specific skills. We can learn skills to lessen fear and to strengthen courage. That\u2019s the bottom line of these three posts: you can learn the skill of choosing courage when you feel fear. <\/p>\n
\u00a0In this post we\u2019ll explore what courage is and why we need it. Post 2 presents some of the science behind how courage works in the brain. Post 3 offers practical steps to make courage a reality in your life. Choosing courage helps you take the right action for the right outcome despite feeling fear.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Animal courage<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>The story is told of a community mice who lived in a barn. They had a good life: plenty of food, sunshine, and sleep. But they had one problem: a large cat who appeared silently out of nowhere to pounce on them. To improve their lives, a wise elder-mouse said that a mouse needed to volunteer to put a bell on the cat. But who had the courage to do it? Silence.<\/p>\n \u00a0We often think of a lion as a symbol of courage. Many royal families have used a lion or bear to represent strength and superiority. But it\u2019s mice and rabbits who need courage, not lions or bears. Lions are at the top of their food chain. With no predators, they don\u2019t need courage. Courage is needed when you feel weak and vulnerable, not strong and secure. You and I need courage in our lives. There are many predators out there in our society apart from lions and bears.<\/p>\n \u00a0What is courage?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0Courage is not a lion\u2019s strength or fearlessness. It\u2019s not heroism or physical prowess. It\u2019s not something you\u2019re born with. In Disney\u2019s Hercules<\/em>, Hercules is strong, but his journey is to learn courageous, to make the right choices for the right reasons. Courage is a choice, and making the right choice often means giving up something easy or comfortable. At times, we need to choose between virtue and pleasure, or between pain and panic. We need to keep our heads together and not let fear overwhelm us, just like Hercules. We need to learn to choose courage in the face of fear just to do the right thing for the right reasons.<\/p>\n \u00a0Being of the heart, courage is a mindset, an attitude. Psychology regards it as a character strength to be developed, not a personality trait that\u2019s predetermined. As humans, we are vulnerable; to death and pain, to failures and each other\u2019s judgment and rejection. These are our real predators. Because of them, we need courage to move forward in life.<\/p>\n \u00a0Here are some useful definitions of courage:<\/p>\n \u00a0Courage is the ability to remember what is worth prizing and what is worth fearing. \u2013 Plato<\/em><\/p>\n Courage is right action, with confidence, in situations of fear. It is the golden mean between cowardice and reckless impulsivity. \u2013 Aristotle<\/em><\/p>\n Courage is opposing any pressure to abandon your ideals or yourself. \u2013 Heinz Kohut<\/em><\/p>\n Courage is the capacity to rise to the occasion. \u2013 Martin Seligman<\/em><\/p>\n Courage = Feeling fear + Acting rightly + Having a higher purpose. \u2013 N.H. Gould<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0These all acknowledge that fear is part of the courage equation. Because we are vulnerable, we feel fear, and when fear appears, we have the opportunity to choose courage. That\u2019s why ancient Greek philosophers saw courage as one of the four cardinal virtues, alongside temperance, wisdom, and justice.<\/p>\n \u00a0In psychology, courage means acting for good despite fear and threats. In broader science, it\u2019s regarded as one possible response to fear. It can be learned and practiced. In my clinical work with military personnel battling PTSD, I came to understand that courageous soldiers feel fear yet, even in their vulnerability, they act as needed. They make sacrifices for a higher cause. They do what they are trained to do. That\u2019s courage.<\/p>\n \u00a0Courage is also required to stand up for human dignity and human rights, to battle mental illness, to maintain healthy boundaries in toxic relationships, to say no<\/em> when your addiction wants you to say yes<\/em>, and to keep going despite trauma, setbacks or physical limitations. Here is my definition of courage:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n