In early August, I went to Rizal Park to protest against the burial of Ferdinand Marcos, the notorious Philippine dictator, in Libingan ng Mga Bayani (Cemetery of Heroes).
During the protest, there were a lot of speeches about students who were victimized during his presidency—for speaking up about human rights, for standing up for freedom of the press, for taking a stand on allowing a variety of voices to exist, not just the ones who agreed with the president.
These are well-known stories of courage.
But we are also being called to practice courage regularly in our daily lives and it doesn’t involve going to protests or being imprisoned for speaking your mind.
When you would rather stuff your face with a bag of Cheetos instead of heading to yoga class…
When you keep quiet during a meeting instead of sharing an opposing opinion that might be a better direction for the project you’re working on…
When you give in to a client who is asking for one deadline extension too many…
When you flake out on your friends again for a night of Netflix when you promised them that you would finally make it for your monthly dinner…
When you follow traffic rules only when Waze alerts you that a policeman is standing on a corner…
Like everything else, practicing courage is a habit. Here’s how to do it this month:
1. Do things from the perspective of your best self.
“I attempt to analyze the situation from the perspective of my “best self”—the one that’s generous, reasonable, forgiving, loving, bighearted, and grateful. I think really hard about what I’ll wish I did a year from now. I map out the consequences of the various actions I could take. I ask what my motivations are, what my desires are, what my fears are, what I have to lose, and what I have to gain. I move toward the light, even if it’s a hard direction in which to move. I trust myself. I keep the faith. I mess up sometimes.”—Cheryl Strayed, Tiny Beautiful Things
2. Say no.
Say no to activities and people that sap your energy, that don’t bring out your best self. Say no to not living up to the commitments you’ve made to others and more importantly, to yourself. Say no to mediocrity, to “puede na,” to lowering your standards.
3. Say yes.
Say yes to adding more joy to your day. Say yes to things that stretch you, that make you uncomfortable because they’re out of your comfort zone. Say yes to adventure, to purpose, to meaning.
4. Start your week, your day with an intention.
Instead of reaching for your phone first thing in the morning, sit quietly with yourself. Say a prayer or an affirmation (my favorite is “only good lies before me”) and set the intention of staying courageous today.
Photo by Blake Wheeler, Unsplash.
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