Courage

Courage was the spark that turned indecision into action.

 

The difference between David's encounter with the lion and that with the bear came down to one moment of bravery, the courage to do something rather than just watch and hope. As David's journey progressed, he learned that courage is not the absence of fear but the decision to act in spite of fear. 

 

Often, we know what we want to become, and we may even know how to do it, but fear of the unknown or criticism from others keep us paralyzed in our familiar situation, leaving our dreams to wither away over time.

 

This stone teaches us that the first step is often the hardest, but it is also the most important because without taking that first scary step into the unknown, we will never enjoy the beautiful journeys life puts before us or share our gifts with the world.

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• If you could move forward without fear, what would you do differently in your life?

• How would your life look if you acted that way?

• What “first step” have you been avoiding because it feels too uncertain or you afraid of what others would think?

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One thing I've learned when I have acted courageously is this: Fear Is A Liar!

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Fear tells us that the giant is too big, the cost is too high, that we aren't strong enough to try, or that the goal is too difficult to achieve. But the truth is that once we get started, most of things we try aren't as hard or impossible as we once thought.

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In the book, I added something intentional when Goliath saw David on the battlefield: doubt. I wanted to show that Goliath wasn't an impossible enemy. He had feelings of uncertainty at the sight of a challenger that wasn't afraid of him. The challenges we face are the same. When we decide to be brave for one moment and go for the thing we were scared of, we find that the obstacle wasn't as impossible or out of reach as we had thought.

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So make a decision to identify the biggest obstacle in your way, or the scariest step you know you need to take, and then push yourself to be brave for one moment and go for it! The obstacle is as scared of you as you are of it.