Choose to Challenge: What Would You Do if You Were 1% More Courageous?
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Pasha Dahncke
Pasha is a passionate and energetic communications professional who is a storyteller at heart. She spends her time writing, dancing, homeschooling and volunteering in her community. After moving across the country with her husband, two girls and dog, she started a blog in late 2019 to chronicle her transitions and experiences. Follow Pasha’s adventures here.
Courage. It’s deep inside all of us and an internal superpower to inspire growth, action, and change. At InHerShoes, we activate women to choose courage over fear in order to call out biases, move towards equality and celebrate our achievements on a daily basis, not just during Women’s History Month.
We believe that courage is a muscle that can be flexed and grown with practice. It means pursuing your goals – both large and small - while balancing feelings of discomfort, uncertainty, and imperfection. As humans, we grow and thrive when we stretch ourselves in complexity. Often, the biggest risks and challenges bring forth our greatest breakthroughs and discoveries.
What would you do if you were 1% more courageous? Would you assert your passion, express yourself freely, and pursue possibilities in every aspect of your life? When empowered, you can.
Use Courage to Take a Plunge
A great first step in finding your courage is to acknowledge that your fears and anxieties exist, and then choose a courageous path forward anyway. The practice of journaling your thoughts is a useful strategy to process hesitations. It’s natural to want to work things out before reaching a conscious decision to just go for it.
Embracing your bravery to dive in is a good way of taking the plunge. It also means putting one foot in front of the other and not obsessing about desired end outcomes (making it a zero-sum game of success or failure).
Tavi Gevinson is someone who used her bravery to start a blog Style Rookie at the young age of eleven to document her simple love of fashion. As Tavi vulnerably expressed herself through her writing, her following skyrocketed. Within two years, she acquired a base of 30,000 daily readers and began fielding invitations to international fashion shows.
As Tavi’s interests expanded and her influence grew, she went on to launch Rookie, an online magazine for young artists and writers to connect on broader topics related to the joys, pains and realities of adolescence. While the publication shuttered seven years later, Tavi will always be a pioneer for building a groundbreaking community for young females to authentically share their voices. Her example shows how new doors open once a journey is courageously initiated.
At times, however, it may be courageous to not take any action and choose a moment of pause instead. It’s beneficial to frequently evaluate the risks and rewards to determine your best path forward. Throughout my life, I have said “no” to personal and professional opportunities that just did not feel right or suit my needs. From switching my major in college, to turning down attractive job offers, to passing up amazing opportunities for international travel, I have adjusted my plans based on the priorities of my heart. It actually takes as much courage to say no, as it does to say yes when an opportunity is fully presented. What’s beautiful is that you are in control of making important decisions as you honor your inner voice.
Use Courage to Further your Passions
One of the easiest ways to unlock your courage is to, like Tavi, further the pursuit of your true passions. Finding your passion means knowing what sets your soul on fire and channeling your talents and strengths towards your goals.
Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, stole America’s heart at the 59th Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden with her poignant and powerful poem: “The Hill We Climb." With her carefully chosen words, she provided a hopeful vision for a divided nation. This September, Amanda will release her debut children’s book, “Change Sings" which reminds the newest generation that they can change the world with their words, actions and voices.
Amanda’s interest in writing kindled at a young age under the influence of her mother, a middle-school English teacher. She honed her talent as a teenager, and that fueled her meteoric rise to being named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate. What’s important to remember is that Amanda did not embark on this journey alone. She tapped into her network of mentors, teachers, family members and friends who supported along the way. Each of us has a “home team” who can cheerlead for us and provide us with valuable guidance.
Sometimes finding your passion comes quickly, as in Amanda’s case, or in other instances it can take a lifetime. When I moved across the country to California in 2018, I treated it as a fresh start to figure out my “second act.” Three years later, I admit that I am still figuring it all out professionally. Meanwhile, I enjoy connecting with my community, volunteering with organizations that I care about, and exposing myself to new people and ideas. It takes courage to “keep at it” and trust the process until the pieces do fall into place.
Use Courage to Overcome Setbacks
Lastly, life is filled with challenges and courage can be used as a powerful catalyst to overcome setbacks. People who are gritty by nature know how to pick themselves up after they have been knocked down. The concept of “failing forward” is about turning setbacks into valuable stepping stones.
Take Bethany Hamilton, for example. Bethany is a professional American surfer, who lost her left arm to a shark attack at age 13. Despite her traumatic injury, she was committed to returning to the waters. After teaching herself to surf with one hand, Bethany returned to competitive surfing and went on to beat a six-time world champion and win a national title. She then went on to publish several books about overcoming adversity by reflecting on her experiences as an adult.
Vera Wang is another example of someone who came back stronger from a setback. Before becoming a renowned worldwide fashion designer, Vera pursued her childhood dream of making the U.S. Olympics figure skating team. When she was cut from the team in her early twenties, she cleared the slate and stepped into the fashion industry. She designed her first wedding dress at age 40 and emerged into an icon in design.Vera’s example in courage shows that it’s never too late to discover a passion to flourish with.
Whether you are powering through challenges like Bethany or pausing to pivot and course-correct like Vera, you can use your courage to push forward. What we often perceive as failures are intentional moments of learning to prepare us for future experiences. When you are struggling in the process, draw upon the allies in your corner for support. I find the practice of integrating outside perspectives particularly helpful in evaluating complex issues and challenges.
What will you do next?
It takes courage to blaze new trails and it’s important to acknowledge that there is growth in each step of the process. Each time you choose to challenge, you take a step forward. You don’t need the perfect moment or opportunity to get started.
Whether it's committing to a small step such as being more vocal in classes or meetings or to taking a big step such as reconstructing the way you live your life, it is largely about believing in yourself and following your heart. We all have the power to catalyze our courage to enact change.
And yes, it’s vulnerable to take risks, so be gentle with yourself and allow yourself to make mistakes. By persevering through the process, you will gain valuable experience and knowledge. So choose courage over fear (while reminding yourself of your greatness)… and trust that the moment will be yours. Are you ready to take a leap of faith and make this your year of intentional possibility?
