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| Sandra Ford Walston The Courage Expert |
Walston contacted several women and asked them to share how they made courage their daily legacy. I shared the following with her.
“Making Courage Your Daily Legacy” - Dr. Beverly Helms
It is difficult for me to put into words
how I make courage my daily legacy. Courage is something that was instilled in
me at a young age by my mother and even though I am a strong introvert, the use
of courage, on a daily basis, has become something at which I think I am unconsciously
competent. It is such a part of my repertoire that I don’t really think about
it. I guess it has become second nature and is so embedded in my being that
when asked to describe the process of making it my daily legacy, I am
challenged.
Below are a few of the things
I believe have contributed to my daily courage.
- I recognize that you can’t please all the people all
the time and in fact, you can’t please half the people half the time, so I
don’t try. That doesn’t mean I don’t care what they think or that I am
insensitive. I simply don’t use others as the measure for my being.
- In spite of my perfectionistic personality, I finally
have come to accept there are no perfect people and I am kinder and more
accepting of myself than ever before.
- I try not to break my toothpick on a marshmallow. Making a mountain out of a molehill was once a serious problem for me. I finally realized that a few hours and certainly a few days took care of most problems. I am still working on this.
- I believe in being candid, and saying what I think even
though I recognize a greater need to speak the truth more lovingly. At the
same time, I preface most opinions by asking the person if they really
want to know what I think about something or if they prefer that I tell
them what I think they want to hear. While we don't want to believe it, most are not very receptive to an opinion different from their own.
- Because I want to be a pioneer of the future rather
than a prisoner of the past as Chopra suggested, I let what happened
yesterday stay there. That is not to say I don’t use learnings from the
past to make me better, but I don’t dwell on my mistakes. I try to make
peace with my past, and forgive myself, which has been and still is, more
difficult for me than it should be.
- I take risks, which for a strong introvert, can be very
intimidating. I always ask myself what is the worst thing that could
happen if I fail. And in the last several years, I have done things I
never imagined possible simply because I tried something new or
different.
- I have learned to say “no” more often so that I can better enjoy the things I have said “yes” to.
- I try to live each day intentionally, not responding or reacting as much as making conscious choices.
- I try to avoid pessimistic people, spend time when possible serving as a telephone encourager, and recognize that the only investment that lasts is that made in people.
