Courage is Not About Leading a War

There are many shades of courage you probably don’t know.

Adams Adeiza
2 min readNov 8, 2022

In 2 minutes, you would know them all.

Photo credit: Dana Tentis on Pexel.

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. It’s the same courage it takes to sit down and listen”, said an anonymous writer.

Courage is what it takes to knock on your boss’ door and demand for a pay raise. It’s the same courage it takes to trust the boss and wait for her.

Courage is what it takes to walk away from your depressing job even when you don’t have a better one. It’s the same courage it takes to stay where you know and hope for the best.

Courage is what it takes to open up and share your weaknesses. It’s the same courage it takes to apply your strengths and make them serve a good cause, even when people doubt your motives.

Courage is what it takes to share your best ideas with colleagues and hope that they won’t steal them. It’s the same courage it takes not to steal other people’s best ideas.

Courage is what it takes to admit that you don’t know something. It’s the same courage it takes to share what you do know.

Courage is what it takes to allow people into your world. It’s the same courage it takes to let those people know when they’ve overstayed their welcome.

Courage is what it takes to give and accept negative feedback. It’s the same courage it takes to praise other people’s good work, even when that takes some shine away from you.

Courage is what it takes to hire anyone. It’s the same courage it takes to fire them when they aren’t living up to their billing.

Courage is life. Life is courage. Every decision we make has its downsides. Courage helps us decide anyway.

Courage is not arrogance. Courage is humility. True courage comes with consideration.

Be considerately courageous.

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