Courage

During the workshop I mentioned in my last blog posting, we stayed in a pretty dreadful hotel. When I checked out, the receptionist asked me if everything had been ok. Normally, I would mumble a non-committal response. But this time, I decided to be honest. I looked straight at her and said, in a calm and friendly voice, “No. But I have filled out an evaluation form and will hand it in with my key.”

Afterwards, I had to take a deep breath. I am not good at things like this. Voices in my head were going, It’s not that poor lady’s fault! And, They won’t pay any attention to your criticism anyway! But my conviction, that the hotel management has the right to know my opinion, waved the voices away.

It takes courage to be honest. It takes courage
- to stick to your own point of view when everyone else has a different opinion,
- to hold on to your boundaries when others are constantly trying to cross them,
- or to show how vulnerable you are when you would prefer pulling on a harness.

Courage has to do with commitment. Commitment to stay true to yourself and to stay in contact with others at the same time. The researcher and author, Brené Brown refers to this as ordinary courage. The ability to speak and act from your heart.

And how do we find this courage? Like the Cowardly Lion, we discover that it has been inside us all the time. In this blog posting, we have arrived at the second of the 5 Rhythms– Staccato. Staccato is about fire and commitment, about clarity and clear boundaries. Staccato is the rhythm of courage. By making contact with the fire in yourself, in your belly and hips, you become aware of your own power and courage.

So the next time you wonder if you dare to speak your mind or show your vulnerability, take a deep breath. Feel the breath streaming through your body down to your belly. Feel your fire, The fire that keeps you standing tall, holding your space.

Or even better… move your body! Dance, move, and feel the fire building up.

How do you gather the courage to speak and act from your heart?

Images to accompany this blog.