Chapter 1: Courage: Lessons From Inside the Ring of Fire


Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.

—Aristotle,
philosopher

What Is Courage?

There are many definitions of courage. They have to do with mental and moral strength to resist danger or hardship—firmness of mind and will in the face of extreme difficulty—and the capacity to meet adversity with fortitude and resilience. My favorite definition of courage is "readiness to deal with things fearlessly by reason of stouthearted temperament or a resolute spirit."

Courage does not mean facing danger without thinking. It does not mean that you go out looking for danger. It does mean that when faced with a dangerous situation, you act with reason. You consider the risks. You do what must be done for your protection and survival and for the protection and survival of others.

It doesn't take saving a life to be a hero, or to prove you have courage. Courage comes in many shapes and sizes. For some, courage takes the form of facing physical danger. For many people, courage is what makes it possible to go after those things that seem impossible to achieve.

Humorist Erma Bombeck once wrote, "There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, 'Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams.' Then they put the box away and bring it out once in a while to look in it. And yep, they're still there. These are great dreams but they never even get out of the box. It takes an uncommon amount of guts to put your dreams on the line, to hold them up and say 'How good' or 'How bad am I?' That's where courage comes in."

Courage is not necessarily found in one great heroic act, but is more often embedded in the day-to-day actions that come from the heart.

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

—Walt Disney




Diamond Power. Gems of Wisdom From America's Greatest Marketer
Diamond Power: Gems of Wisdom from Americas Greatest Marketer
ISBN: 1564146987
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 207
Authors: Barry Farber

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