Courage and Heart, key ingredients for….

“Courage is the first virtue that makes all other virtues possible.” —Aristotle

I read this quote recently and it has stuck with me since then as Courage really is one of the key factors for us to grow and be successful in our lives. For me it’s about bringing the extra bit of heart to the relationships we have with ourselves and others. I have found that the ‘getting stuff done’ or at the very least identifying ‘doing’ and ‘planning’ piece can be the easiest piece of work when we are looking to make a goal happen. Ask about the people piece or the ‘heart’ piece for themselves and voiced words of ‘oh’, ‘hmm that’s a tricky one’, ‘bot sure about that one’ together with terrified faces can been seen when talking about ‘getting stuff done’.

Yes, being successful does take heart and it takes us being kind to ourselves when the ‘doing pieces’ are hitting unexpected roadblocks or even when ‘I couldn’t be bothered today’ or ‘let me hid out today and have a duvet day’ happens for us, it is then that we need the rewards of being kind to ourselves, taking the time for celebrating the small and not so small milestones, taking care of ourselves and, yes, being just a little bit selfish so put ourselves first. What does that give us, well, I believe it means we can love life just a little bit more wholeheartedly and then we have more to give to those we care about. For me that’s a ‘win win’.

So how does courage fit in? Well, that is the key to heart and it allows us to be brave when there are tough choices to be made or when we are being pulled in the many directions that are the new normal of our busy lives.  It’s also there when the not so positive internal dialogue gets a little louder and we need to turn up the positive dialogue; when we are speaking with well-meaning friends and family who ask ‘aren’t you okay the way you are?’ and most importantly it helps us to stand tall and powerfully strong in who we are, in our pursuit of a wholehearted life and its amazing potential. It allows us to take time to savour life’s spectacular moments, to feel the positive energy that flows from it, and being present in the moment rather looking for the next action or reflecting on the action just taken. It provides the space to live in the present moment, plan for and follow our greatest dreams and wishes making heart and courage the drivers to live out fullest most amazing life.

Yes, I do love courage and heart for what it brings for my life. What does it bring to yours?