Sometimes I think we're a cowardly generation unworthy of our ancestor's names. Too many of us lack the courage to chase our dreams, because we're afraid we will fail to realise them. Too few of us are brave enough to do the right thing, because we fear the consequences of doing so in a world that too often demands the wrong thing from us. We're afraid even to be ourselves in most cases, or to befriend those who have chosen to live in authenticity, because we'd rather fit in to a group and feel accepted, than face the world feeling alone.

We all have the potential to be courageous. Even the weakest of men will be empowered with bravery in a perilous situation. But we have been pacified. We do not see that we are in a perilous state of affairs right now, and therefore, we see no need to search within ourselves for the power to face our fears. Perhaps though, there is another recipe for courage - one that need not require an impending doom hovering over us or our loved ones in order to be excited.

With that said, I would like to share my method for sourcing courage. It is a method I use whenever I feel that fear is attempting to dictate my decisions, and it has proven to be very effective for me. Perhaps it can be for you too.

Trust

Call it trust or call it faith, it matters not. But belief in a higher power, and in its benevolence, is a very useful tool in overcoming fear. It needn't be God, or nature. It could simply be humanity as a whole. If one believes that we are heading somewhere good, then all the bad shit that has happened along the way, or that may happen to them personally in the future, becomes a meaningful sacrifice - not something to be feared.

Humility

How many people have lived and died, and how many still live and will die, and how many are yet to be born, and yet to die? The answer is billions if not trillions. What happens to you, whether it be good or bad, in the grand scheme of things, is not important. Whatever hardships you think you may have suffered, or whatever pain you fear you may experience in the future, the chances are that more than a billion people have suffered worse, or will suffer worse. You're not alone in your suffering, and if all these others could endure what they did, then why can't you?
Be humble enough to accept that you're merely one of a great, great many, most of whom have gone through the same or similar shit that you have, and be faithful enough to trust that we went through and are going through this shit for a good reason, and you'll have no reason to fear. In my opinion, fear is almost an arrogant sensation, borne of the belief that what happens to you is important. But really, it's not. Because you aren't important, and neither am I. It is we that is important. And embracing this understanding will undoubtedly provide you with the balls to make the choices you want to make, in spite of the potential consequences that may befall you as an individual.