Courage in the times of Crisis: Do you wear it well?

Courage is a "hindsight" event.  You never know how courageous you are, until you are looking back.  It's like looking in your rear-view mirror.

MC,

There were many heartfelt comments about the courage of Ted Kennedy at his funeral today.

One significant aspect of courage was "perseverence".

Brian

Courage goes hand in hand with faith. You have to believe that things will work out in the long run. We realtors are a positive thinking bunch. We do, however, absorb the stresses and strains of dealing with a public that is under some duress. This economy has left a lot of people struggling financially. As much as we want to put on a brave front, we do feel this tension. By following our core values, we are able to advise our clients. This week I had to tell a former client that she is out of options and may lose her home. As sad as this is, she will be able to own again in the future, if she learns financial discipline. A failure can push us in a new, more positive direction, if we have learned from it.

I am at my best when times are worst.  Like Captain Kirk, I never fail in a crisis.  Sometimes I wonder if this is my curse.

F alse

E vidence

A ppearing

R eal

:)

Courage is certainly a great attribute, along with faith to combat fear : )

Remember the Lion in the Wizard of Oz?

"All right, I'll go in there for Dorothy. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch, guards or no guards, I'll tear them apart. I may not come out alive, but I'm going in there. There's only one thing I want you fellows to do...Talk me out of it!".

Sometimes, that's how it feels, we talk big but when the time comes and we are tested...we run.

I've learned in my life that when I am afraid of something and it requires me to show courage, in fact, there usually is nothing to be afraid of.  After it's over and passed, most times I have discovered there was nothing to it, and I got worked up over nothing.  It is in the mind where fear begins.  When I am fearful about something, I now commit myself to take the plunge and I just do it. 

Thanks to Nike, I am a now a better man.

Tough Times and challenges reveal a person's character (or lack of it).  Courage , I believe is the grace of God to see us through .

For me courage is moving forward in spite of the fear that I may feel in a given situation. What gives me the courage to do that is faith, and faith in myself as well and that I know I am doing the right thing even if it is hard to do.

I have given this topic great thought and I can't seem to separate my courage from my faith.  Just having faith takes courage and one must have courage to have faith. I have just decided to Keep on Keeping on and see where that takes me. If you keep placing one foot in front of the other foot you eventually get where you are going.  Great Post!

Hi MC -- My latest act of courage started two years ago when I decided to start my own independent brokerage after the market crashed.  Tenacity, dedication, commitment and an overwhelming desire to succeed is what keeps me going in these tough times.

Courage and Love are both two things not well understood.  Courage is not bravery and Love is not a feeling.  Both are just choices to do what is right, even when it would be easier not to.

"It's easy to see ourselves as trapped when we listen to fear, instead of to inspiration.

You can't cling to the old nest and soar to the flowering branches at the same time."

This quote by Tama J. Kieves inspires me. I hope it inspires you too!

Keep the courage,

Sharon McConnell

Yes, courage is a wonderful thing.  I have been through many adversities in my life, only to come out stronger, mentally, with more courage, and determination!

Courage is a wonderful inter-strength to have. Sometimes one might feel you are at the edge... once you push through it with courage and a heathy dose of determination you will feel better. I always say something good comes always comes from something bad if you look for it, sometimes it is just a lesson in life. Sometimes we are unable to see it at the time but look back, you will find what it was! Take it and move forward.

I believe I wear my courage well. I have a dream of being in business doing something I love and there are times that things are great and then there are times that things are not so great-however every day is a NEW day, and I wear my courage well by putting one foot in front of the other and saying I am here and ready for the next challenge.

TLW points out a great addage about fear and that's true. Do some of you know she likes to shoot at things? LOL.  Some people hold up well when courage is needed and others do not.  I do but it is hard for me to explain.  I think it is an important personal virtue.

Frank Herbert said of fear in his book Dune;

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

• Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear.

I display it every day MC. When I do the right thing and tell the truth...even when it costs me money.

When I was about 3, I crawled through a drainage culvert.  My parents didn't know where I was, until my dad thought to look in the culvert.  Years later, he told me that the only thing he could think of was the Fire Department having to dig the pipe out while I was busy freaking out in the pipe... 

But, what he did was sat down in the ditch, looked at me in the pipe and told me to keep coming until I was out.  He never broke a sweat and he never lost his cool.  When I slid out, he picked me up and carried me inside to get cleaned up. 

I was in my late twenties when he told me that inside he WAS sweating and panicked.  I never knew. 

That is courage. 

As I watch my five year old and 1 1/2 year old live their lives, I understand the courage that my dad showed by letting me do what I needed to do.  Sometimes I know that they are going to get bumped or bruised... and I also know that they need to do that to grow... 

I hope I can be as courageous...