We take so much of our strength and resilience for granted. Courage isn't about being a battle-ready soldier; some days there is courage in saying, "tomorrow is another day". We show courage on a daily basis because our lives and the lives of those we love matter to us. When we feel deeply passionate about something, we find courage easily -- for example we find superhuman strength to protect our children. So let us find that same passion and courage for ourselves, trusting that whatever our circumstances are right now (and regardless of whether we feel courageous), we can find a valuable seam of courage if we dig just below the surface.

I've kept the quote by Mary Anne Radmacher close to my heart, "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the silent voice at the end of the day that says 'I will try again tomorrow'."

I've been called courageous, resilient and brave many times in my life. (I've also been called naive, foolish and crazy!) I want to put the record straight. We are all courageous, I am no different to you. I was asked one day by a friend, "how to you do it? I just don't have your courage." I thought about it when I got home, I didn't see myself as particularly courageous, but it got me thinking about the meaning of courage and what it meant to me and I wrote down these thoughts in my journal:

Courage is saying sorry
Courage is knowing when to say 'enough'
Courage is saying I love you
Courage is saying yes
Courage is saying no
Courage is being truthful with oneself
Courage is knowing that we screwed up
Courage is admitting we can't cope alone
Courage is letting go
Courage is reaching out
Courage is standing up for something we believe in
Courage is burning our boats and never going back
Courage is doing something new
Courage is being willing to receive
Courage is trusting someone again
Courage is choosing love over fear
Courage is standing up for oneself
Courage is choosing to truly live
Courage is learning to love again
Courage is believing in oneself for the first time
Courage is being vulnerable
Courage is breaking with tradition
Courage is asking for help
Courage is stopping to rest
Courage is letting the tears flow
Courage is continuing through adversity
Courage is trusting that all will be well

Do you see? We are ALL courageous in our own way. What's the smallest possible step you could take to believe in your own courage?

This first appeared as one of the chapters in Best Knickers Always: 50 Lessons for Midlife

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