“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

-Mary Anne Radmacher

Courage… What does it mean to be courageous? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, courage is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

It is often easy for me to acknowledge the courage it took Martin Luther King, Jr. to stand up to a racist nation and fight for the rights of so many American people. It is easy to remember Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent protests campaigning for Indian independence. Today, I admire Malala Yousafzai’s courage as she fights for Pakistani human rights.

There are many other courageous people that are not as well known as these three popular figures. Leng Ouch is a Cambodian activist who has been fighting illegal logging, fighting for the lives of so many Cambodians that depend on these lands. There are millions of very courageous immigrants around the globe that leave the comfort of the known, for better opportunities for themselves and their families in an unknown world.

If there are so many examples of courage, why is it that we sometimes find it so difficult to acknowledge the every day things we do that show how courageous we are?

I remember working with a client who found it very difficult to see any positive qualities in himself, he thought everything he did was wrong and all of his mistakes were a sign of what a terrible person he was. As I helped him explore his thoughts, actions, and life he realized that being in counseling was one act of courageousness. After this first realization, he found that he showed courage when stood up for his godson and took custody of him as a single parent. As we continued working together, he found more and more examples of that quiet voice at the end of the day that said, “I will try again tomorrow.”

If you are having difficulty finding your positive qualities, if you are having difficulty finding courageous examples in your life, please contact Life Enhancement Counseling Services today at 407-443-8862 to schedule an appointment with one of our Orlando mental health counselors.