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The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act accordingly
Corra May White Haris
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It may be difficult to accept that some singers, sport stars or public speakers suffer with fear and anxiety before they start their performances. Many of the most popular artists and sport stars still feel ill and shake with fear when they bounce onto the stage or into the arena to perform. They often hide their anxiety behind a brave smile and the artificially bolstered image that they project to their audiences. A friend told me that many of a newsreader’s heartbeats goes as high as two hundred beats a minute the moment when they cross over for the news. I have been giving motivational and educational speeches for half a lifetime and still feel tension when I walk to the podium.
It is a known fact that most people are afraid of public speaking. I can still remember a nightmare I had before I gave my first paid public speech. In this dream I saw how I made a complete fool of myself. I saw how I stuttered fumbled my way through the whole speech. I could see the shock on the audience’s faces. I even save a few at the back of the hall rolling with laughter. It took an iron will and a serious self-talk to prepare myself for my virgin paid performance.
The key to courage is to proceed and do what needs to be done notwithstanding the uncontrollable feelings that rush through your body and brain. The most difficult thing in overcoming fear is to activate action. Once you passed this hurdle the rest is usually much easier. I found when I play in an important rugby match that all the nervousness disappeared the moment I crossed the outside perimeter of the field.
Most champions feel just as much fear, anxiety and tension than we do, but they learned how to manage their fear. Courage is not something that you are born with. Courage is simply to do what needs to be done regardless of the panic feelings. You must take a firm step forward when your name is called. The key is to master the fear during the first critical moments. Once you get going nothing will ever stop you.
COURAGE IS THE FINAL TEST TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY FOR THE BENEFITS THAT ARE USUALLY ONLY DISHED OUT TO THE BRAVE.
George Farquhar said, “Courage – an independent spark by which the soul stands raised. When you stand up against a bully and survive your moment of perceived madness, you feel proud of your achievement. When you tell you boss in no uncertain terms that you will no longer be his slave or allow his manipulation, you usually go home and feel proud of your fortitude. You might buy the evening newspaper on your way home so you can find a new job, but usually feel proud that you for once stood up for your rights.
Courage is not something that only some people are blessed with. Courage is simply as stated above an emotion that you need to overcome. I have seen how brave woman lay down their lives for their children. I have seen a wounded buffalo cow stand up to a lion to protect her calf. We all have courage that is stored deep inside our souls. It is there, waiting for you to discover and use it to your advantage.
You will not make much progress in the game of life if you lack courage and will power. The courageous always walk away with the best jobs, opportunities and benefits. They earn the biggest incomes. They are paid well because they mastered the enemy called fear. I am sharing their secret with you today. They are just as frightened as you are. They also taste the fear, but walk forward and face the fear until it loses its hold over them. It is a fallacy that they feel no fear. People that feel no fear in the face of adversity are usually idiots with a short lifespan.
Rene
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