How to Develop Courage: A Courageous Vision

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A COURAGEOUS VISION brings about life changes. COURAGE is the ability to act even when faced with fear, pain, or grief. Vision is the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom.

Author and Ramsey Network personality Ken Coleman frequently talks about ‘your Mount Everest. That is the highest peak you want to achieve in your career. Dreaming big and reaching your mount Everest would be nearly impossible without a clear plan for the future. It would be equally impossible without the strength to overcome or push through pain or fear.

Courage to Dream Beyond the Expectations of others.

Oprah Winfrey tells a story about when she was a little girl in Mississippi. Her grandmother was a maid, and she dreamed that someday Oprah would also become a maid. Oprah talks about how her grandmother encouraged her to learn how to wash and hang clothes because she would be doing it someday—essentially training her to be a good maid. But Oprah knew deep down that her life would be different from her grandmother’s. Watch her tell the story on the Youtube clip below.

Oprah believed that there was something bigger and more significant for her, beyond the expectations her grandmother had set for her.

People in your life can see more than you can see in yourself. These people sometimes pass judgment or draw conclusions and give advice based on their observations. Your friends and family, bosses, teachers all have your best interest at heart and will set expectations for you out of love.

Expectations from loved ones are not your expectations for yourself nor your limitations. But instead it should enCOURAGE you to take their dreams for you and dream bigger, plan realistically. Push through any fear or uncertainties.

Vision for a Better Legacy

In the video clip above, Oprah felt that she was meant for better things in her spirit. She was not discounting her grandmother or her occupation. But she knew that she would have the opportunity to build on her grandmother’s legacy by dreaming bigger.

When envisioning your future, be bold. Use your imagination to dream of all that is possible. What is the current family legacy? How will you improve it? Think about your childhood, what you learned as a child, the values instilled in you by your parents. Consider all that you learned in school and through your friendships. Use all of it to plan a future that may seem impossible but, if accomplished, will get you to your mount Everest.

When setting a vision for your life or your career, listen to your heart, use your head, and seek wisdom from those who know you best, those who will be honest with you in the most loving way.

Listen to Your Heart

My heart is immediately excited when I am engaged in an activity that involves self-improvement, like listening to a podcast or reading a book, or when speaking with someone who needs career advice. That is how I figured out that helping people find their purpose and get on the right career path is one f my purposes. Once I realized my purpose, I immediately began to plot and plan how I could be of service to people in this way.

You have to listen to your heart; the things that make your heart glad are typically a good indication of how you should plan your future and what you should be planning. Allow your heart’s joy to guide your planning and imagination.

Use your Head

What is it that you dream about? What does the perfect life look like? Use your head and the ideas that fill your mind to dream even bigger. Eliminate the fear and doubt that clouds your decision-making and get clarity as you plan for the future.

The head is tricky because, on the one hand, it gives hope through imagination and ideas. But it can also fill you with fear. Learn to quiet the doubtful mind and pay attention to the endless ideas and possibilities.

Seek and Use Wisdom

As mentioned above, vision is the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom. The imagination comes from the heart and the head. Wisdom comes from people in your life. When planning, look to those in your life, your parents, your friends, your colleagues to gain more insight into you. Ask questions, pay attention to the opinions and feedback you receive. Take the knowledge and wisdom from those close to you as you develop a plan.

Be bold, act even in the face of fear and uncertainty, plan your future. If planning for the future seems impossible, break the future into pieces. Plan for tomorrow and then plan for the day after that because tomorrow is the future.

Take it all one second at a time, one minute, one hour, one day at a time. Be bold with each second and minute because before you know it, you will be well on your way to fulfilling your courageous vision.

Remember to give yourself a break with each step. Thanks for exploring this topic with me.

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