Two distinctions of courage

I was a guest on a podcast titled 1 Insight, hosted by my coach, Rich Litvin. One of the topics we discussed was courage, and I thought it would be fun to share a few distinctions.

The Latin root of the word courage is cor - which means heart.

A distinction is two things that can be true at the same time.

One distinction Rich brought up on the call was doing the thing with all of your heart and with love.

I brought in another distinction, which was doing the thing at the expense of or risk of your heart and love.

I hid a part of myself for over 25 years. I was afraid of being found out and being rejected by the people I loved the most.

It was easier for me to be loved for being someone I wasn't than to risk being rejected for being myself.

I was afraid of being myself fully.

Maybe you can relate? I was being a chameleon.

Chameleons are lizards that can change the color of their body whenever they choose to. It helps them fit into their environment so that they can stay safe.

Do you ever hide parts of who you are?

Being yourself can be scary.

If you want to stop hiding, here are a few tips to get started:

Level up your awareness.

Get a pen and paper and complete the sentences below. Do this as many times as you can in 10 minutes:

A part of myself that I hide is _____. I hide because _____.

Envision living your truth.

Envision what life would be like if you were no longer hiding part of yourself.

Maybe you’re now courageous enough to speak up in meetings or have that conversation you’ve been putting off, letting go of the need to be liked, or actually believing that you are enough.

What would that be like? Would your smile be bigger? How about your stress level? Paint the picture of what life would be like if you’d already done it. Can you see it?

Write as many details as you can for 10 minutes (free flow).

Take a small step forward.

I wouldn’t recommend doing what I did: Creating a Youtube video telling the world about my deepest fear of being found out. Revealing that I’m black, gay, and Christian.

Start small. This is the hardest step, and, you can do this.

You’ve uncovered where you’re hiding and what life can be like if you decided to live your truth. Now, decide a small step you’d like to take to start living your truth.

What’s your small step? Take it and celebrate with me if you’re bold enough. You won’t be added to an email list or anything like that. You’ll simply be celebrated. I know this is a foreign concept for some of you.

Email me at hello@shermainmelton.com and let’s celebrate you!

This is a small example of what being in the Courage to Impact Campfire is like. This is my intimate group program where we practice taking courageous action (couraging) each week for 5 months.

What could you create in your life if you not only raised your awareness level but took intentional action on it and celebrated regularly?

If you’re curious about joining our Campfire, click HERE to see videos of what it’s like, hear what actual participants are saying, and learn more.

I hope this article has been beneficial to you.

Be courageous. Nobody is going to do it for you.

Shermain.