An Ode to Courage

As Brene Brown so eloquently states, “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage.” When you ask someone to describe what is courage, they usually describe someone who is vulnerable.  Vulnerability and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness. It’s our vulnerabilities and courage that make us who we are and drive our passions.

I am reflecting today on the courage and vulnerability I saw in the many people who have surrounded me this last year.  

Courage is….

• The 45-year old who bravely suffers through stage 3 cancer treatment
• The husband who gently cares for his wife with Alzheimer’s
• The marketing expert who stands in her power and takes the job she wants, not the job everyone else tells her to take
• The leader who says, I am over my head, I need help to be a better leader
• The many women who give 200% of themselves to their job and their family but give nothing to themselves
• The woman who starts to realize that her time with her children is fleeting and she needs to make some priority decisions
• The executive who takes ownership of product issues
• The woman who realizes her job is not what she wants to do over the long term and decides to leave, even though she does not have another job waiting in the wings
• The brilliant marketing guru who wants to make everyone happy but also wants to make the right decisions at work
• The CEO who, no matter how difficult the day is, always manages to say thank you to his employees
• The 45-year-old who has lost her job, stands up and does a complete career pivot and does not look back for a single moment
• The coach who needs to guide a client through challenges that no one should have to face
• The woman who continues to fight each day for what she wants
• The many who are beaten up and dirty but manage to stand up every single day, in their authentic power and live with passion and courage.