“I was so much braver when I was younger. Why can’t I be brave like that now?”
We know the answer to that.
As we get older, we feel we have more to lose.
We know that some decisions don’t lead to the results we wanted or hoped for.
We’ve been hurt and we no longer wish to go through the pain or discomfort of suffering through the choices we make, knowing that the world already provides enough pain and discomfort for us.
But one warm afternoon on the waning days of a summer vacation, I sat down with my daughter and watched The Princess Diaries with her again.
There’s a quote in the movie which compels the main character, Mia, to rethink a pivotal decision that will change the course of her life. (I won’t give away any spoilers in case you haven’t seen it yet. If you haven’t, I highly encourage you to watch it on Disney+. It’s an adorable movie with a very young Anne Hathaway and a wonderful Julie Andrews.)
This is one of my favorite quotes. I always turn to it when I need a shot of (non-liquid) courage.
“Courage is not the absence of fear but the judgement that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all…For now you are traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be.” (Meg Cabot, The Princess Diaries)
What’s more important to you than fear?
What would you most regret not doing in your “one wild and precious life” (as Mary Oliver called it)?
Who can you be if you don’t let fear stop you?
Because, yes, there may be things you might lose but you might have been hanging on to them too long anyway. What you gain might also be the treasure that you’ve spent your whole life seeking.
Because this choice might not give you the results that you want but you will get what you need—for your growth and your soul’s evolution.
Because the discomfort is a small price to pay to get to the other side—where you live and love fully, with the whole of your being, and knowing that you did not let yourself or your dreams down.
Are you ready to go on a journey of courage and self-trust with me?
My online course Journaling for Courage and Confidence is open again for enrollment this year.
Journaling for Courage and Confidence starts with paying attention to your heart and deeply knowing what matters. It continues with fear and inner critic work so you can discover what’s holding you back. With great compassion for yourself, you find ways to let go and move forward. Finally, you will craft your courage manifesto—a powerful statement that integrates what you learned and guides you to take action.
If you’re tired of allowing your fear and self-doubt be your master…
If your intuition is asking, “if not now, when?”…
If you want to reconnect to that braver part of you that you knew when you were younger…
If your comfort zone is boring you and you want to step into a life that feels authentically and truly you…
…then I invite you to join me on this course. PRE-ORDERS ARE NOW OPEN.
FIND OUT MORE HERE
