Courage And Heroism

While on vacation, a throwback to a popular article from 9/4/2012.

"And each man stands with his face in the light. Of his own drawn sword, ready to do what a hero can." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal regarding everyday heroes and what it takes to be one. The article is titled Are You a Hero or a Bystander? and it examines what type of person is likely to step up or freeze in a crisis. The story cites research from the University of Winnipeg in 2010 and others which identify the prime traits of both courage and heroism.

What I find amazing is that so many people never realize these traits until put to the test. If you were to have asked those people did they ever think they had it in them, most would probably say no. Many would indicate that they were surprised to know it was inside of them.

There are stories such as Laurie Ann Eldridge, seeing from her garden in Cameron, N.Y. an obviously confused 81-year-old driver stuck at a railroad crossing. A train was speeding toward the car when Ms. Eldridge ran barefooted to the car. She pulled the disoriented woman out, rolling down the railway embankment only seconds before the train demolished the car.

Ms. Eldridge's feet were bloody and riddled with splinters and the elderly woman was unhurt. But did she know it was inside her to act so courageously? Unlikely, but that didn't matter, she acted and that is what did matter.


Each of us have some level of heroism and courage inside of us.

The charts you see are a way that researchers say you can determine what level that is. What I don't think it gauges is the "moment" of need in which that inner thing surfaces. A time when you least expect it.

In those "moments" you realize it exists inside of you.

You will respond by acting in that moment. It will seem natural and right when you do it. time will slow down and everything will happen with clarity. Only afterwards, when others are asking and saying it was heroic, that you will realize what you just did.

There are very few of us, if any, that walk outside each day and tell ourselves we will be doing something heroic. We walk outside and go about our life. There is no expectation that we will be called upon to do something heroic.

What we do expect of ourselves is that we care for our fellow man and woman. We have compassion for others that are in need. That is what lies at the surface of our lives. So when the "moment" occurs, that compassion on the surface will drag the inner courage and heroism out into the open.

Be prepared to use your courage in a heroic act.

You never know when it will come to the surface.

And stay inspired my friends.

Passing Through Your Tunnel

"Courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway." - Robert Anthony

We stand within our circumstance, surrounded by walls of doubt all around us.

Before us is a single path to take us from where we are.

It is a long and rough tunnel which has a barely visible light at the end of it.

There is a choice we can make at this point besides simply remaining within our current situation. It takes courage to move towards that light in the tunnel. It is an unknown journey with no promise of greater things. So we stand and ponder all of the possible outcomes.

The odd thing is we know where we are here and now. We know what the current holds for us; the sameness of our circumstance somehow feels comfortable. So you hesitate to enter the tunnel and move forward with your life. The comfort of where we are as opposed to being surrounded by walls of doubt and indecision make it harder to move any further.

One may think the walls might simply collapse in upon you. But with a bit of courage and desire, the tunnel is passable. There will be a new beginning on the other side when you enter into its light.

Be brave and courageous to take the journey towards a new future.

Fill your pocket with the dreams and goals you have held so long. These will help drive you towards the end. As you arrive at your destination, you will have an ability to close the tunnel to the past. The sun will shine brighter and the view will be fantastic.

Stay inspired my friends.

Courage to Journey

"Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose." -Tom Krause

Amazingly we find out in life that there are no guarantees. We are suddenly shocked to find that a great relationship, great job, great car, great home, lots of money and excellent health are a given. The dreams we have for success and accomplishment sometimes do not happen.

What we do find out is that life is just life, happening all around us and only giving us opportunities to achieve our dreams. We also find out that life creates challenges to confront and confound our efforts.

Either way, we have to keep trying.

We need to have the courage to step out into that world every day and work towards our dreams. It means overcoming the hurdles placed in front of us; of combating those things which could keep us from achieving those dreams.

It also means never being satisfied with partial success. When we achieve a small amount of success, there is a tendency to "rest upon the laurels", which means to be satisfied with a small degree of success and refrain from any further effort.

We must also be aware of the hidden courage that exists within each of us. It is the courage one needs to pursue our dreams. We go forward with the unspoken knowledge that we may never achieve it.

It is this hidden courage that keeps us moving forward.

What you will find is that most of us do attain our dreams. The results may not look exactly as we first envisioned. Just know it is the journey that becomes the accomplishment. If you give yourself the courage to take that journey, then you will achieve great things.

Stay inspired my friends.

Courage to Sit

“Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose.” -Tom Krause

In most of the stories you read about a person exhibiting courage, you read that this person or that person "stood up" in an act of courage. But sometimes courage is shown by simply sitting down.

With the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 March on Washington D.C. (August 28, 1963), many stood up in courage but there were many that sat down with just as much courage.

The most notable person we can look to is Rosa Parks. On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks refused to obey bus driver James F. Blake's order that she give up her seat in the colored section to a white passenger, after the white section was filled. Yes, we actually had colored and white sections in most every part of life. That is what segregation means.

Many had the courage to break through segregation.

Rosa Parks quietly refused to give up that seat in which she sat. It was a courageous act that did get her arrested, but it helped to launch the civil rights movement here in the United States. And yes, Rosa was no stranger to politics and knew very well what she was doing. She had been a secretary with the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP since 1943.

There were many that tried to create a much more innocent myth that Rosa's unwillingness to get up was due to aching feet. “No” she would say, “the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”

One act of courage in which one person sat for change sparked a nation to greater change. It would give others the example to act courageously and so many did. And you could be the one that sits or stands in courageous manner. You can be the one that takes one small act and changes a nation.

It may not seem quite so big at the time when you decide to take your seat on the bus. Moses lifted a crooked stick and parted a sea. David had a small sling-shot and brought down a giant. You help pay for a single mother's groceries one day and the possiblity of greatness happening is put into motion.

Act with courage in everything you do and realize that possibility isn't as hard as we think.

Stay inspired my friends.

Dream Anything

“To dream anything that you want to dream. That's the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.”
-Bernard Edmonds

Dream your dreams my friends.

Flying Upside Down

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.” ―Seneca

When you step out into the unknown, there will be fear encountered both real and imagined. A few years back, many of us attended a couple's retreat in the North Georgia mountains. The camp had what is referred to as a challenge tower, four stories high and with various climbing obstacles to overcome.

During that retreat, a friend by the name of Belinda conquered something greater than the tower that day. She accomplished it in ways that you can not imagine. In fact, I think what she overcame that day was fear. In doing so, it set her up to overcome years later a brain tumor.

You can read about her miraculous story by picking up a copy of Bwenna - A Story of Hope and Faith.

Overcoming her fear of climbing prepared her for the fear that could grip even the heartiest of us when a doctor says the word cancer.

It could be fear of failure to reach the top or fear in your own physical ability to accomplish the climb. It could be that "step off the platform" for the zip line ride that grabs hold of you. For others, it may be the fear of simply reaching the top and being so high up in the air.

It was during this same event that I watched in amazement as another friend scaled the tower with little problem. She had reached the top and quickly we all learned that she had a fear of being so high. It caught me by surprise, but she had conquered it. She conquered that thing which holds her from moving forward in life. She had let go of fear and created the path to achieving so much more in life.

For me it was a certain fear of not being able to make the climb. After watching so many others ascend and questioning my own ability; fear was beginning to creep in. Yet I made that step forward; actually up the tower. My focus became the goal, my focus became ensuring my wife made it to the top, my focus was to overcome.

Once achieved, everything became much more clear to me. It seemed to me that my ride down the zip line was now the reward. Stepping out from the platform, taking the ride upside down was the only way. Flying upside down, everything was crystal clear to me at that moment.

Take a chance by stepping out into the unknown. Let go of the fear and know that even if you find yourself flying upside down, everything will be clear. Enjoy the ride!

Stay inspired my friends.

Gravity Always Wins

"The memories of loved ones will allow us to jump and dance in joy for having been part of their lives." -Joseph Primm

For the past three days, my thoughts have been upon the tragic scene that unfolded in Newtown, Connecticut. I watched various news stories and the Sunday talk shows. The social media comments on Facebook and Twitter contained both words of sympathy and frustrated ignorance (from both ends of the spectrum).

I thought about writing in memoriam to the children and educators lost. There were words I wanted to express for the parents and loved ones left to grieve. There were words I wanted to express for those on both sides. There were words I wanted to express to my God and for myself. But those words are better left to myself.

What I decided to talk about today is the apple tree. A source of nutrition, a fruit taken from a tree branch. So much goodness that we can experience each day. As the old saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." A shiny red apple, juicy and sweet to the pallette.

Yet what of the apple tree?

Every season, the apple tree excitedly announces a new arrival with flowering buds. It fills the air with excitement and promise. As each tiny apple grows ever larger gravity eventually wins. The apple falls from the branch onto the ground and the apple tree branches lift with a sigh.

But even when the apples all fall from the tree, the apple tree will once again burst with new flowers. The apple tree will always continue to try it again, to move forward, to try and defy gravity. The fallen apples will have touched the lives of many others. The seeds of those tender apples will have planted new hope in others.

There will be new growth elsewhere, in other people. The fallen apple will not have been for naught. And while it may seem that gravity always wins, in actuality, it is the apple tree that always wins.