Come on…c-c-c-courage

“The root of the word courage is cor — the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage had a very different definition than it does today. Courage originally meant to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.”

The Tao Te Ching states that courage is derived from love (“慈 loving 故 causes 能 ability 勇 brave”).

Today, we know courage as fortitude or strength.  Today, it takes courage to speak and express the heart’s truest callings and desires.

So what’s in the way?

What’s in the way is what we’ve created – blocks from true expression from moment to moment.  What’s in the way is fear – fear of being hurt, rejected, abandoned or wronged.

Often, these fears came from decisions we made about life when we were too young to understand or see the big picture.  When we were left out on the playground or scolded for expressing a real emotion or abused by a hurting adult, we put up a protective covering from our true expression.

Now, we begin to peel back the layers of these shells.  We peel them back with courage, and begin to expose our authenticity.  There is no authenticity in the masks we wear.

So today, connect with your heart, and ask it what it wants.  What has your mind forgotten because your heart has been covered up?  Reconnect the two, and step courageously into the life you always knew was possible.  Let the story of your heart unfold.