Hello Intentional Family –
Are you, or someone in your family going through a hard time? No doubt, doing hard things is, simply put… HARD! Doing hard things requires courage, and I believe that one of the best ways to cultivate courage is through enCOURAGEment! Encouragement empowers us to reach our potential and do what we didn’t think we could, which takes courage. I believe that culturally, we need courage now more than ever, and it takes time to develop, it is a process.
If courage needs to be cultivated in our lives, then encouragement is the fertilizer and family is the gardener. What better way to grow courage in your life than from the people who know you best… your family team?
Developmentally, we need to cultivate courage in order to manage fear, build confidence, increase trust and feel worthy. If courage involves making a decision or taking action where there is a risk or fear involved, then consider the value of encouragement.
This summer, my daughter was a camp counselor. The theme was FEARLESS! She found ways to creatively enspire her campers to do things they didn’t think they could do. Every time they did something fearless they would seek her out for a reward. She created a persona as an influencer named Jessica Star, and every time the girls did something fearless, they would find her to get a fun pass. Fun passes could be redeemed for candy at the sugar shak. Sounds easy enough, until you deliver. These girls pushed their limitations and were able to accomplish things they never thought they could do. Here are a few of the courageous acts accomplished by these brave 7 and 8 year olds:
- Rode a horse for the first time even thought it was her biggest fear.
- Did the zipline despite being afraid of heights.
- A picky eater ate everything at dinner without complaining.
- Completed the high ropes course.
- Shot a gun for the first time.
- Signed up for a class that she was nervous to take, and it ended up being her favorite
- Confronted conflict and reconciled a relationship bringing the whole cabin closer together.
Encouragement helped them gain courage, which made them FEARLESS! In turn, their courage was contagious! It encouraged my daughter, who doesn’t even ride rides at Six Flags, the courage to do the high ropes course, including the free fall.
Encouragement created a virtuous cycle of courage for these young impressionable girls, and now they have evidence of courage to help them do it again.
Courage can take on many forms, but all require some risk. Here is a list of different types of courage that need to be cultivated in our lives.
- Physical Courage to try things we are afraid to try.
- Social Courage to reach out when we want to retreat and to initiate when we want to run.
- Moral Courage to do the right thing in the midst of peer pressure.
- Intellectual Courage to engage in challenging ideas, ask probing questions, and share our conclusions without fear of repercussions.
- Spiritual Courage to understand our personal beliefs and convictions and not judge others for theirs.
So, who in your family needs to develop more courage? What kind of courage do they need? Where are they in the process? How can you encourage them in that process?
Your Family Coach,
Cristin Parker