Courage is simply defined as the ability to do things that frighten you.
Almost everything we embark upon in life requires courage. Either physical or mental courage.
Every icon you admire or look up to had or still practices courage. Probably on a daily basis in order to keep up their great and significant works.
Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Oprah, Bill Gates, etc., didn't get to their positions in the world without good doses of courage.
At some point, they took chances despite uncertainties. With some of them, even despite a risk to their lives.
Courage is needed for physical and mental tasks.
The best athletes out there exude courage and bravery. You need courage to scale a mountain. Courage to go deep-sea diving. Lots of courage to run that marathon. Courage to wake up and head to the gym or other exercise routine several times a week.
And then there's mental courage. Studying for an exam and doing your best takes courage. Giving a speech in public takes courage. Running for office takes courage. Opening and running a business takes courage. Creating that new app needs courage.
Courage doesn't have to be on a big scale, as in some of the situations I've described above. We often look up at people in high positions and put them on pedestals, and we say, “Oh, they are there because they had so much courage.” Or we say, “Wow, that person is so brave! I couldn't imagine doing that. It looks hard.”
Well, without continued courage, we can't get most things done in life.
Courage and complacency simply can't exist together.
With complacency, you live for yourself.
With courage, you live for others, and you change the world.
The more courageous you are, the less your tolerance for complacency in yourself.
If you're fine where you are in life, you don't need courage. But if you dream for more, strive and hope to get to higher heights, you do need courage.
To change the world, you need courage.
Wow! My favorite word is easily courage. It honestly is.
Courage has brought me great things in life.
It has brought me many breakthroughs:
Choosing to study medicine.
Leaving my birth country and venturing out to other continents.
A thriving business—my pediatric practice.
Teaching medical students.
Surviving a divorce and coming out stronger.
Writing books. Indie publishing the first one.
Writing a blog.
Public speaking.
Raising two daughters.
Raising a puppy.
Doing all I can to stay healthy and strong.
Currently working on bigger projects and opportunities.
All the above would not have been possible without courage.
So, my friends, if you're still living, you have time on this earth, and you have breath, and you dream and hope for more, the only other thing you need is courage.
Be courageous.
Be brave.
Hope for the best.
Because if you hope for the best, you'll do your best.
And in the rare instance that your courage doesn't give you the desired results, you would have gained something—the practice of being courageous.
Believe in yourself. Be courageous. Be permanently happy.