COURAGE OR BRAVERY?

Written By Gillian Wagner

Dear friends,

how are you doing?
I wanted to share with you a topic that comes ups when we speak about the language of our hearts. It's not just love, it's courage. 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRAVERY AND COURAGE?

Until Brené Brown came onto the scene with her Ted Talk on Vulnerabilty (highly recommended) I used the words courage and bravery interchangeably. And then Brené gave us this definition of Courage:

being able to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart

 If you look up the etymology of Courage you will see that it stems from the latin word cor - the word for heart - and originally meant

to speak one's mind by telling all one's heart.

Bravery, on the other hand is more an action. I define bravery as doing something despite the fear that you feel. Again, if you check out the origin of this word, you will come across "bravado" which really translates to boldness. 

MOVING FORWARD, DESPITE THE FEAR

After sifting through the dictionary definitions of these two words, I can give you this: 
Bravery requires reckless abandon. Go ahead and kiss the guy and see what happens. Courage is an inner strength, gleaned from practice, knowledge and wisdom. Neither require fearlessness. You will never lose the fear. But you can conquer your fear, meaning, you acknowledge it, ask it to step aside for a moment, so that you can get on with the business of living.

I AM NOT A BRAVE PERSON 

Oh really? The things we think about ourselves, how we describe ourselves, is often disconnected with reality. It doesn’t always reflect our actions.

Here’s a list of small but mighty moments, courageous things that you probably do every day. Just in case you thought you lack courage:

  • Getting out of bed and leaving your home

  • Being kind to a stranger

  • Talking to someone you barely know

  • Getting vulnerable in a conversation

  • Setting a goal

  • Showing someone that you care.

  • Putting yourself out there (online, in a meeting)

  • Setting boundaries (when to say yes and no)

  • Telling someone what you want 

    See? Tons of courage. There’s just a gap between personal expectations and reality…

Enjoy the day!

with so much love,
xxxx Gillian xxxx

P.S. Please write to me if you have any questions or comments.

Gillian Wagner
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