Making Courage Your Legacy

Sandra Ford Walston
The Courage Expert

Sandra Ford Walston, The Courage Expert  writes, "What's your definition of courage and why is it vital to claim it for yourself? Are you curious about why only 11% of over 750 women researched perceived themselves as courageous? Are you in this group?"

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.