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Courage

versus indifference

By Bob McInnisPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Courage; where does yours come from? Courage isn't the opposite of fear; it is the opposite of complacency. Complacency is the bastard child of certainty and convenience. When those two get together, they sap our curiosity, commitment, collaboration and destroys our courage by convincing us to continue clamoring confidently along. When we believe we are correct, we don't need to be courageous – just stubborn. When convenience removes all challenges or, worse, convinces us to avoid circumstances that cause inconvenience, we get stuck more profound in the muck of mediocrity (complacency's cousin). It doesn't take much mediocrity to bring about inertia. When the mud gets above our knees, we become paralyzed.

Does it sound like a terrible state and a trap to be avoided? I spend a lot of my day reminding myself that I need to create a bit of chaos, so I remain curious and vigilant.

For me, the practice of avoiding complacency and encouraging courage is about embracing a bit of ambiguity in every moment.

I avoid overanalyzing circumstances, which is a more accessible practice than I imagined. If I start digging into weeds, I lift my head and think about the garden and the sky. If I go all big picture and begin considering the global ramifications, I try to focus on the bottom of my feet and breathe deeply.

I have, thanks to Gretchen Rubin and Bernadette Jiwa's work, adopted a habitual morning practice. It still causes me some angst to say that because I once felt that habit was a handcuff. But now, I begin my day at 5 am with a guided meditation and some language learning. By the time I get to my first coffee, I have awakened my heart with reflection and my brain with a small challenge. The remainder of the morning before a run or workout has me roaming news and information sites. A forty-minute to an hour exercise session takes me to 07:30, and the routine ends. The rest of the day can feel like fire fighting (some of the flare-ups that I started) and work with clients and causes.

While I often share responsibility for my time with appointments and meetings, I avoid letting someone else highjack my agenda for the day. The choices I make either lead me to predictability or adventure. Predictably I usually choose adventure. If I believed in destiny, I would say," I am destined for the next adventure" or" adventure is my destiny." If I succumb to spending 12 hours working on a client's problem and curtail my personal plan for one day, I can make up for it. But if a demanding issue within my manifesto begins to consume me, I need to take back ownership of my schedule.

To combat certainty and manifest courage, I passionately stand up for my values and respectfully listen for points of agreement and points of diversion, and then try to understand and synthesize differing points of reference and view. In diplomatically defending my ideas, I am forced to consider the why, what, where of the opinions, and why I am sure they are valid. I bring myself to listen to and hear opinions and 'facts' that differ from mine and consider why, what, where again. It is hard to get complacent when I intentionally put myself on a rollercoaster.

In my bravest moments, I am not afraid of the change that comes from embracing uncertainty. However, I still surprise myself when I hear my voice digging in on a position with defensive posturing." Experts have shown," We all know," "The facts are" are all cowardly bullying if I am sincere in exploring new ideas and testing old ones.

I try to avoid definitive statements, definitive articles, and definitive tone when in a discussion or friendly debate. My curiosity should be to understand not to win points. If I practice an indefinite approach and keep my head, hands, and heart open, I will hear, see, and feel the world differently, which excites me.

Make Today Remarkable by exploring the impossible, embracing the unimagined, and trying the undoable,

Bob

humanity
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About the Creator

Bob McInnis

I am therefore I ask questions. Lately, my questions have been about our survival as a species, our zealous and unrealistic quest for freedoms, and what appears to be an aversion to responsibilities.

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