How to Make Courage a Default Behavior

By Patricia Young.

You deserve to give yourself permission to be who you were created to be, do what makes you feel alive, and have what you truly desire. You deserve to gift yourself with what makes you truly happy. Life is too short to keep choosing old habits and excuses because they will keep you playing and living small, and definitely, shrinking and settling for less than you deserve.

The truth is that no matter what you want to create, achieve or change in your life or the world, it’s going to require that you intentionally choose to step outside your comfort zone… every.single.time.

There is no magic pill, and no one will do it for you…It’s really up to you.

Here’s they key: Fear will show up every time you decide to do something new. As humans, we will experience fear many times in our lives. We’re wired to feel fear because we’re built for survival, and fear is the primal instinct that keeps us safe.

But…The false fear trap can show up in many subtle and confusing ways, but however it shows up, we tend to cling to the comfort of what’s uncomfortably well-known, and it prevents us from living lives that are authentic, fully expressed, and open to the depth of everything that’s possible.

I invite you to imagine for a moment that you’re in your 70s or 80s - if you looked back at your life, what would you be most proud of? What would you regret?

Our main fear should be regretting not having lived a big and fulfilling life. Even if we fail when we try something new, we’ll always learn something new. I know that deep in our hearts, we don’t want to settle for less than the biggest life that we are all capable of living. I also know, for my own experience and what I’ve seen with Clients, that what we want most is waiting for us on the other side of our comfort zone.

We just have to keep reminding ourselves that fear is a normal part of the process of growth—it’s not a signal to stop. The bigger the change, the bigger the fear. However, the more often that we leap, the more we get used to the discomfort and the process. At the end of the day, we are always creating in our lives, either by default or design. I like the design way better…by default, you feel like a victim.

How to Make Courage a Default Behavior:

A mentor told me once “courage builds courage”. And she’s right. Courage is not lack of fear; Courage is taking a baby step despite of the fear, so you let fear transform you, and you can create a new relationship with uncertainty.

Did you know that every time you do something that you haven’t done before you create a new neural pathway in your brain? Scientists say our brains have an innate ‘neural plasticity,’ and changes in our neural pathways occur due to changes in behavior. So when we keep choosing courage, over time that pathway grows stronger and stronger, and becomes a default behavior!

Think about courage as a little muscle – the more you choose to use it, the stronger it becomes. The same happens with your confidence and self-trust. Every time you step out of your comfort zone and do something that scares you a little, you build up your confidence, your courage and your self-trust, which will increase your capacity to do more things that will bring more happiness, fulfillment and success in your life.

So I invite you to practice tapping into your innate courage, and keep dreaming big, because there’s a high price that we pay when we don’t honor our desires and truth! Keep connecting with your highest life vision, and allow yourself to s-t-r-e-t-c-h  boldly. Never doubt that your bravery will make a positive impact in the world and inspire others to give themselves permission to do the same.

Want to learn more about how to identify your highest life vision and build the confidence and courage to create a life of purpose, magic and miracles? Get a copy of my new Bestselling Book: “Awakening to Life: Your Sacred Guide to Consciously Creating a Life of Purpose, Magic and Miracles” ->  www.AwakeningToLifeBook.com