A new year calls you forward to adventure, fulfilment and fun. But your summer might not have been the classic Australian beachside break. It might have been one touched by tragedy or loss.
Perhaps for you, concerns about the economy, future technology or failures in leadership have shaken you and sapped you of your confidence.
Phill Nosworthy, one of Australia’s leading performance coaches and keynote speakers, works with individuals and companies, such as Microsoft and Universal Music, on finding meaning and courage in their personal and professional lives. He says, “We’ve all been told that confidence is all that we need. But confidence can be a real a fair-weather friend. Ironically, it’s in the moments that we really need it – moments of challenge, transition and change that confidence is hardest to come by.”
He continues, “That’s why, in those moments, it’s important to know that confidence is nice to have, but it isn’t essential. It is courageous action that defines us. One thing is for sure – anything that is meaningful to us in the year ahead, lies on the other side of courageous action”.
To assist you in your journey, Phill has shared his tips to finding courage, in challenging times:
- Take the time to find out what matters to you. By finding out what matters to you, and what doesn’t, you’ll have created insight into the things that you will be willing to act courageously for. No one is suggesting putting yourself way out there for things that don’t mean anything to you. The call to courage is the call to act on things that matter most to you.
- Second guess your first response. Knee jerk reactions and shot gun emotional responses aren’t always our best ones. Learn to slow down your rapid-fire emotional responses and even second guess them. By creating a little space in between what happens to you and how you respond, you multiply your ability to act with courage and wisdom.
- Remember that wisdom is the advice that we give to friends. Research and our own experience of life shows that it is so much easier to encourage or share advice like ‘you can do it’ with our friends than it is to yourself. I’ve even heard that ‘wisdom is the advice you give to other people’. So, here is a little thought experiment to try when you are faced by something that demands courage; if your friend was in the same position, what would you say to them? Now say it to yourself.
- Choose what is right, over what is comfortable or convenient. It has become very clear to Australians that the year 2020 calls for real leadership – not decision making based on comfort and convenience. Leadership takes courage, but it also starts with leading our own selves first. Ask yourself; where am I not taking full responsibility for the results I am creating and where can I be most courageous in my own life?
Phill concludes, “If you reflect on your life, the moments you are most proud of probably aren’t moments that were achieved with a full stomach or on a soft pillow. Most likely they were moments when you stepped out and stood up for what you believed in, and moments when you didn’t back down. I’ll bet they were moments where you drew on deep wells of courage that even surprised you. It has been a brutally challenging start to the year for so many Australians, but these are the moments that also call the best out of us. Being bold, and choosing to move forward is what our future selves will thank us for”.
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