INTRODUCTION.
Courage is certainly not the absence of fear because even the most courageous people do feel fear, but the major difference between them and others is that they are able to manage and overcome their fear so that it does not prevent them from taking action. They are able to use their fear such that they will not be overly confident and also take whatever appropriate action they should. How does one manage fear? You may ask. The management of fear involves training oneself to be able to control their emotional responses to fear. In other words, they manage fear rather than allow fear to manage them.
Courage, on its part, is a valuable asset and virtue about which innumerable people have written on over the years. Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave also feel fear just like everyone else, but they are able to conquer it. When you are courageous, you can stand up against anything that threaten you or the things or people you care about. Courageous people take action in such a way that is consistent with their core values. However, sometimes, the action necessary must not be loud, but rather quiet and thoughtful. Courage is what is required to stand up and speak; it is also what it takes to sit down and listen, so said Winston Churchill of blessed memory. To be courageous and brave is not the same thing as blindly rushing in, but rather thinking about it and then doing it as best you could if it is necessary. Little wonder that T.S. Elliot said, ' Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.'
THE BENEFITS OF COURAGE.
It makes you feel good and happy with yourself if you act courageously, especially as being courageous entails mastering emotions. The celeberation of courage tells us as nothing else can that it is indeed a human activity. Courage will assist you to accomplish great things which relates to acting in a way that appropriately responds to risk, not being too confident or in a cowardly manner. It will help you to accomplish good things if you persevere. Courage also assist us to act against those who either threaten us or who act in a wrong way. For instance, the Western world has naturally respected bravery for itself; but success may not really be necessary if courage is shown. The celebration of bravery as an end in itself is exemplified in the celebration in the UK of Robert Scott, a man who though failed to accomplish his deadly chosen mission of reaching the South Pole, but he along with his team had the courage to try it in the first place. They all died on their way back. Spectacular failure, but unmistakable courage. They knew the risk involved, yet they went ahead notwithstanding. This is courage at its best.
COURAGE GOVERNS AND OVERCOMES FEAR AND OVERCONFIDENCE.
Both fear and overconfidence are correctly viewed as needless and injurious emotions which are very capable of making us depressed and feeling bad either at the time they occured or afterwards. Fear, just like many other emotions, is closely related to survival. We tend to fear anything that threaten our survival, and our response at such times is determined by an adrenaline response, which is either to fight or take flight. Being afraid tells you when you are cornered that your survival may be at risk. Regardless of your emotional state, your response in this issue may not actually be rational. This response may be linked to your memory, perhaps a previous experience, or something you might have read before. There are expedient questions you can ask yourself at such times when you are overwhelmed by fear such as:
* What am I really afraid of?
* Is it the right thing to be afraid of ?
* Should I really be afraid of it?
* What harm can it actually do to me?
* What can happen due to my actions or inactions?
* What risks could there to me and others as a result of it?
When you are courageous, it gives you the strength to evaluate your emotional response and therefore act rationally and correctly.
Overconfidence is a good emotion since it can give us the power to act on convictions, have faith both in ourselves and others, and also to take meaningful actions. However, it can also mean that we are too ready to take action, and take unnecessary risks in the process. It is more difficult to identify than fear, because it's a positive feeling. Both confidence and overconfidence feel good, because when we have them, we tend not to be afraid of the challenges that may confront us at all times in many instances. In order to properly identify over confidence, ask yourself the following questions:
* What can I achieve eventually?
* How will what I do affect the situation?
* How am I sure that my actions will make any difference?
* How can I be certain that my actions will not do any harm either?
If you can rationally answer all these questions, it will assist you to evaluate whether you are feeling rightly confident or overconfident?
FEAR AND OVER CONFIDENCE ARE TWO FACTORS THAT ARE
CLOSELY RELATED.
It is good to differentiate whether you are being realistically confident or overconfident, in order to enable you work out on how to overcome that weakness, ensuring that you act courageously, and not be overcome by your fears or take needless risks due to overconfidence. Any man who faces and fears the correct things, with the right aim, and in the right way, at the right time, is definitely brave indeed.
FIND A BALANCE.
Exhibiting courage in the face of challenges, as opposed to cowardice or crockiness/overconfidence is all about getting the correct balance, which implies that you have to think things through well before hand. Eventually, you may have to ask yourself how you will feel when you reflect back on it all. Did you really act in consonance with your cherished values? If you can answer these questions in the affirmative, then it is surely a good way to act, but if the answer is the reverse, obviously you need to think again about whatever response you showed. Should you run away in the face of any risk or you suspect that you were a bit reckless in your response, for instance, then you may have to consider other alternative actions in the future. Most importantly, try not to allow your emotions, whichever type they may be, get the better of you. It is therefore necessary to think rationally about what you want to do, and decide on what is the correct thing to do in the situation.
ADVISABLE RESPONSES TO DISCOURAGEMENT.
There is always the tendency to react in very inexplicable ways if you are faced with a dire situation that may portend great risk to yourself and others as well. No matter how sudden and grave any situation may be, you still have the chance to quickly figure out the best possible approach based on the situation at hand. It is not courage to face what is undeniably beyond you but pure rashness. Weigh the situation you are faced with quickly and promptly decide on what you believe is the correct response and hope for the best. Similarly, if you are up against challenges that may not necessarily present any physical danger or threat to life, but something that has to do with your plans in life and how to succeed, then you will do well to weigh the pros and cons. In such situations, evaluate your options and responses based on the answers you will give to certain pertinent questions. For example, in the face of any discouragement based on something you may want in life, ask yourself how much you need what you want to do, think about whether the action is doable, whether someone has done the same thing you want to do successfully before, and finally, ask yourself whether you are really equipped to see it through successfully. If your answer to all these questions are in the affirmative, my friend, brace up and go for it. Never let detractors and negatively minded people to get in your way, stay focused and always keep your eyes on the ball. In the end, you will course home neat and dry.
CONCLUSION.
Challenges are bound to come in life, one way or another, and what really matters is whether we duck in fear or we brace up to meet them head on. As a result, we should always be clear on where we stand, what we want, and also whether we are prepared and ready to face these challenges with all we got. If you succeed, the very people who doubted you will now be the most raucous in singing your praises to high heavens. So, take a sincere stand with courage and determination, so that your detractors will ultimately become your praise singers and yes men(or women) as the case may be.
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