# Courage **Domain:** Psychology / Action **Doc Type:** Concept Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition **Courage** is the capacity to move toward a valued action while fear, uncertainty, exposure, or possible loss remains present. ## Mechanism and Practice Courage grows through survivable encounters with difficulty. Each completed act expands the evidence available to the nervous system that visibility, uncertainty, and imperfect performance can be endured. ## Relationships - **Related concepts:** [[wiki/Resilience|Resilience]] · [[wiki/Moral Courage|Moral Courage]] · [[wiki/Composure|Composure]] ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “Video practice builds courage. Recording oneself without polish and receiving acceptance teaches the nervous system that being seen is survivable. Each authentic video becomes a small rite of passage.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Becoming Too Expensive to Harm and Healing the Wounds Predators Notice - Livestream (Jan 2016)* [[reminders/Confidence/Being Seen Is Survivable by Bryant McGill|Being Seen Is Survivable by Bryant McGill]] > “Fear of leaving is often worse than leaving. Endlessly rehearsing the consequences of walking away can keep you paralyzed for years, while the actual loss, once faced, is frequently smaller and more survivable than imagined.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Deception, Exploitative Contracts, and the Courage to Leave - Livestream (Jan 2019)* [[reminders/Moral Courage/Fear of Leaving Is Often Worse Than Leaving by Bryant McGill|Fear of Leaving Is Often Worse Than Leaving by Bryant McGill]] > “Common fears include leaving jobs, ending relationships, and confronting others. Dependence on a job or partner for survival can make change feel especially frightening. Naming specific fears is the first step toward facing them.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Courage, Partnership, and Following the Heart - Livestream (Nov 2015)* [[reminders/Moral Courage/Naming Fear Is the First Step Toward Facing It by Bryant McGill|Naming Fear Is the First Step Toward Facing It by Bryant McGill]] > “Resigning oneself to any outcome can free a person to act. Accepting the possibility of loss removes much of fear's power. What remains is the courage to move forward.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Courage, Partnership, and Following the Heart - Livestream (Nov 2015)* [[reminders/Moral Courage/Accepting Possible Loss Removes Fear's Power by Bryant McGill|Accepting Possible Loss Removes Fear's Power by Bryant McGill]] > “Bravery is moving forward while you are terrified. No one is immune to fear, including leaders and people who look confident from the outside, and pretending otherwise helps no one. Admitting fear makes it easier for others to admit theirs and keep going.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Courage, Creative Risk, and Moving Through Fear - Livestream (Dec 2018)* [[reminders/Moral Courage/Bravery Moves Forward While Terrified by Bryant McGill|Bravery Moves Forward While Terrified by Bryant McGill]] > “Facing a fear builds confidence. Making a first video or speaking in front of others is a kind of fire walk; even a shaky introduction can be liberating and transformative.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Systems Thinking, Video Connection, and Protecting Your Creative Energy - Livestream (Jan 2016)* [[reminders/Moral Courage/Facing Fear Is a Fire Walk by Bryant McGill|Facing Fear Is a Fire Walk by Bryant McGill]] > “People care too much about what negative people think when they have not yet accepted that much of life’s hardest work is done alone. No one can feel your pain for you, undergo your treatment for you, or climb out of your hole for you, and once you accept that, you stop needing everyone’s approval to keep going.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Anger, Self-Acceptance, and the Mind-Body Story of Change - Livestream (Aug 2015)* [[reminders/Moral Courage/Stop Needing Approval to Keep Going by Bryant McGill|Stop Needing Approval to Keep Going by Bryant McGill]]