It's as if a page has been turned in a giant book. The very second that Labor Day 2009 passed, autumn arrived in my corner of Michigan. The tourists are gone and the town has been returned to us natives. Trees are beginning to tinge with color and my yard is a flurry of squirrels working feverishly to stockpile as many walnuts as they can. They're quite an education to watch and I wonder how they'll ever remember where to look for the walnuts under a blanket of snow.
It strikes me that we could take quite a lesson from the squirrels. While we don't need to remember where our walnut stash is, we certainly need to call upon our stash of experiences when it comes to finding our courage. You see a lot of people think courage is something that involves an enormous event, with lots of drama and physical strength. Television exemplifies that all the time, so folks figure that, since they haven't had those kinds of experiences, they must not be courageous. And if they think they're not courageous, why attempt something in their own lives that might require courage?
Hold the phone - that's not even a little bit true! Courage comes in all shapes, all sizes, all colors. Everyone has been courageous at some time. Interviewing for a new job, asking for a raise, standing up for a cause, calling a friend to express sympathy - are these courageous acts? You bet they are! And if you dig through your memory for some courageous experiences from your past (think of my squirrels digging for the walnuts this winter), finding courage to tackle other things isn't so hard.
Try this. Jot down answers to these questions. Just a few words to remind you of the situation:
1. Think of one time you had to make a phone call you were dreading.
2. Think of one time you had to attend an event you didn't want to go to.
3. Think of one time you spoke up in defense of another person.
I know, remembering these events brings back all the creepy feelings you had when they happened. But they should also bring back the feeling of accomplishment when you actually did them, the times you were courageous. Just like my squirrels, tuck this note away where you can find it during the winter, the dark times when you don't think you can be courageous. As you'll see, you already have been!
They're fun,informative mini- retreats for women who are reaching for something more, whether they're in transition, at a crossroads, meeting a milestone, or just looking for new ideas.