Understanding Courage

Understanding the complexity of one’s own person is quite overwhelming. This leads us to throw up our hands in defeat, why try? 

It’s confusing to manage these internal conflicts, and understandably so. 

Humans are notoriously bad at categorizing our options by level of importance. If we have to choose, we choose wrong 100% of the time. 

That is, we would if it weren’t for one thing: The promised land. 

The only reason humans act against their animal instinct - the only reason we try to make better decisions - is when we have been promised a reward for good behavior. 

Some call this delayed satisfaction, but it’s far more than that. It’s the current in which we sail. It’s the propelling drive to continue. It’s the reason to keep driving. 

You turn down a tempting one-night-stand because you know the intimacy will be far better with your future husband. You turn down a generous cash offer for your property because you know it will be worth 20% more in a couple years, once you fix it up. 

This is such an important characteristic of the human condition, and it’s going to be the key to unlocking the courage required to become a better version of yourself. 

Everyone understands delayed gratification. But they only apply it to things like sex and investing. What they fail to see is that all decisions should be made through this lens. 

All decisions. 

This is how we turn fear into courage. This is how you go from a feeble, victimized mouse to a confident, dominant lion. 

Most people get this part wrong. They think that courage is synonymous with defiance. Standing up for yourself. Speaking against the crowd. But this is not what it means to have courage. 

Courage is actually just a side-effect that comes with having purpose. Purpose gives you direction, and once you have that everything else is just noise. 

When you are focused on a mission, you act accordingly. You do whatever you need to to complete your mission, fulfill your purpose, and attain that milestone. Sometimes fear pops up, sure. Courage is simply knowing your direction so well, that you do it with fear riding shotgun. There is no struggle to get rid of the fear in your heart. There is no argument that you shouldn’t go at all. You are going, period. So fear can come with you or not. 

Courage is seen to be very noble, and difficult to attain. However, it is easy to implement once you understand what it really is. Do you know where you are going? Then every small decision along the way is pretty easy to answer. 

Think of it like a road trip. You’re going to drive to the other side of America. How many times do you need to stop for gas? What snacks should you bring? What color is the car you will take? Do you listen to country or rap? What company should you bring along with you? Is there AC? 

None of these questions, or your answers, are going to change the fact that you are going to California. THAT is courage. Courage is simply remembering where you are going at every intersection you cross, every decision you make. 

It probably doesn’t matter what color car you have, but perhaps you should look up gas stations available on the way so you can make sure to stop accordingly… 

Problems become real simple under the lens of courage. 

The best part is that the path you are driving on is your purpose. The journey is the answer. However, humans don’t really work for free, we need a better reason to say no to the easy route. 

Hence the promised land. 

That’s why, in order to do hard things. In order to display immense amounts of courage. We can’t do it alone. We need to believe that something has been promised to us. Only then can we become larger than life. Better than just human. 

God knows this, and plants desire in your head. It’s not so that we whine and complain when we don’t have what we desire. It’s so that we get up and go get it. It’s to give us a mission. Humans are meant to have a focus. 

You can tell this because we are extremely attracted to people who walk with purpose. Those that wander around like stray animals? Less attractive. You can also tell this by the way you feel when you know where you are going. 

The path is given to us. Sometimes it will test you. Sometimes you will be tempted with distractions that take you off-course.

But all you have to do is keep driving.