Scared to death—and saddling up anyway.”  —-John Wayne

A message from Sandy. So how do you develop courage?

• Acknowledge and understand that it’s not the absence of fear. Even the most courageous of us experience fear and trepidation.

Muster up the willingness to do so. Before you can acquire any habit, or character trait, you must have a strong desire or willingness to do so. Think about the alternative, which would be to live in fear or in a position of great vulnerability.

Read literature, watch the latest news, a see movies about tales of courage. Reading about the courageous acts of others is very inspiring and offers examples to us all. (look at the many examples we are seeing on the news coming from Japan). Another great example is Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes—Don Quixote, although very ill-equipped, sets forth to courageously right the wrongs of the world. He faces scorn, ridicule, and resistance at every turn, yet he perseveres. There are also many stories from 9/11 that will move and inspire you. Consider the bravery of ordinary men and women, who gave their lives to save others.

Start small but start somewhere. Venturing forth and stepping out of your comfort zone can be daunting at first, so start with something small. If you normally hold back and are afraid to speak up, go ahead, offer an opinion, or a suggestion at your next office meeting. Sure it may be scary—but do it anyway. Slowly but surely build up your courage by doing the things you typically shy away from. Building courage this way can help when it’s time to quit that job you are no longer suited for, or leave that relationship that you have long since outgrown.

Develop faith and confidence. A large part of developing courage is having faith in yourself, faith in a higher power, and faith that things will work out. This type of confidence comes from maintaining a positive attitude and visualizing a favorable outcome.

What will be the first thing that you try that is out of your comfort zone?