Courage
"The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure."
-Sven Eriksson
-Sven Eriksson
Courage to me is a term synonymous to confidence and being willing to take chances. I wasn't always a courageous person. Before my sophomore year in high school, I lacked motivation and I had no direction. Courage wasn't something that I felt was necessary to have because I didn't know where I would apply it. Then as I began to realize the power that I have as an individual, I began to realize the power behind courage and what it could do for me.
There have been many influences in my life that dictated how my courage grew. One example that sticks out to me is this girl that I had a huge crush on in high school. I always thought that she was too good for me and I was too shy to talk to her, let alone ask her out. Then towards the end of my sophomore year, my friend whom I talked about her to told me that he thought she was cute and that he was going to ask her out to prom if I didn't ask first. This was crunch time for me, because prom was approaching yet I felt like I wasn't ready to ask her yet. With a little prodding, my friends convinced me to pop the question to her during recess. I went up to her and finally asked her if she wanted to go to prom. She said yes, and I got her number and we began to talk from that point on.
It was a huge accomplishment for me at the time, and it was a mental barrier that every high school male has to go through, almost like a rite of passage. It made me realize the importance of going out and doing something instead of hoping that it will just randomly happen to you (it won't!).
There have been many influences in my life that dictated how my courage grew. One example that sticks out to me is this girl that I had a huge crush on in high school. I always thought that she was too good for me and I was too shy to talk to her, let alone ask her out. Then towards the end of my sophomore year, my friend whom I talked about her to told me that he thought she was cute and that he was going to ask her out to prom if I didn't ask first. This was crunch time for me, because prom was approaching yet I felt like I wasn't ready to ask her yet. With a little prodding, my friends convinced me to pop the question to her during recess. I went up to her and finally asked her if she wanted to go to prom. She said yes, and I got her number and we began to talk from that point on.
It was a huge accomplishment for me at the time, and it was a mental barrier that every high school male has to go through, almost like a rite of passage. It made me realize the importance of going out and doing something instead of hoping that it will just randomly happen to you (it won't!).
My confidence and courage has evolved to a much higher level since that moment years ago. Nowadays, it takes a lot more for my courage to be tested. I can do many things that would have deterred me in my earlier years without a second thought like talking to girls, conversating with complete strangers, or speaking to an audience. Courage and confidence are important traits to carry along in life because with them, the possibilities are endless. Jobs have opened up to me, people enjoy talking to me, and overall it is a great trait to have.