It is important to have in mind that Personal Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s the ability to put fear aside and do what’s necessary.
Personal Courage takes two forms, physical and moral. Physical courage means overcoming fears of bodily harm and doing your duty. Moral courage is the willingness to stand firm on your values, principles and convictions – even when threatened. It enables a person to stand up for what he believes is right, regardless of the consequences. A courageous person is willing to look critically inside himself, consider new ideas, and change what needs changing. Moral courage often expresses itself as candor. Candor means being frank, honest, and sincere with others while keeping your words free from bias, prejudice, or malice.(*5)
In sum, we can say that COURAGE is demonstrated in action…
How can the Coach help the Client develop and hone his Courage?
To answer this question it is necessary to understand what makes a person less or more courageous.
Courage comes from Confidence in one’s self.
By confidence we mean “a feeling of consciousness of one’s powers or reliance on one’s circumstances” (Webster-Merriam). In other words: “the belief that you have the ability to do things well or deal with situations successfully (Longman Dictionary)
Where does Confidence come from?
From three related domains or realms:
- Confidence in your competence – your beliefs based on proven experience and track record about your capacity to achieve, solve problems and think for yourself.
- Confidence in your self-worth – the value you place on yourself; how comfortable you are being you and the extent to which you feel worthy of happiness and success.
- Confidence in your sense of belonging – whether you feel accepted and respected by others in the groups you are part of.
Your assessment of your Competence, Self-Worth, and Feelings of Belonging make up your SELF- ESTEEM
It is interesting to note that the word “courage” comes from Latin cor “heart” which remains a common metaphor for inner strength.
“Be strong and be brave” (Deuteronomy 31:7) were Moses words to Joshua, when he was passing the command to him. We can infer by the order of the words that to be courageous first you have to be strong. Emotionally, mentally and morally strong. Be self-confident. Acknowledge your own inner strength, your own will, your skill and your competence.
Can people be competent and skillful, and yet lack Courage?
YES, they may be paralyzed and stuck because they are fearful; they are frightened that something might happen that might hurt them. They lack mental and moral strength.
In another words, they don’t have the inner strength and the ability to put fear aside and do what’s necessary. We might also add that they lack willingness and willpower. By “will” we mean determination to do something that one has decided to do, even if this is difficult or dangerous.
Courage implies taking actions and admitting risks, i.e, accepting the possibility that something bad, hurtful, unpleasant, or dangerous may happen. There is always an element of risk in most actions.
So, summing up, Courage results from:
Confidence in your competence + Confidence in your self-worth + Confidence in your sense of belonging + Mental and Moral Strength +
+ Will + Taking Risks + Sense of Duty or Need to Cope with Adversity
“Mental and Moral Strength, Sense of Duty, Need to Cope” reminds us the words of Václav Havel, “Hope is a dimension of the soul … an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart. It transcends the world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons. … it is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.” (*7)
Changing the word Hope for Courage, Havel’s words continue valid: Courage to position oneself and to take action “is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.”