Courage

If someone is courageous, they are brave. This means they have the ability to go through with something even when it may frighten them, be daunting, or take them out of their comfort zone. This year, I have pledged to myself to be more courageous and look on difficult challenges as an opportunity to better myself, rather than something to fear. Therefore, courage is my word for the year, and whenever I question my ability to do something, I remind myself to be courageous and just give it a go, because you don’t know unless you try. Plus, what’s the worst that happens? You go out in a race or session too hard and blow up… but you will still learn something from it. 
I love the saying from The Wizard of Oz. It goes:

“You have plenty of courage, I am sure,” answered Oz. “All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”

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• L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Self belief
The biggest thing about this quote that jumps out at me is the concept of having ‘confidence in yourself’. We are all guilty at times of doubting ourselves. Not because we don’t think we can do something, but because the challenge we are facing is overwhelming. However, there is no reason to lack self belief. We have to be our own cheerleaders, because if we don’t believe in ourselves, no one will. If self belief can allow someone to be more courageous, why do we ever doubt ourselves?

Nerves 
When I think of getting nervous, I thought that this was a sign of lacking self belief, but nerves are normal. I think sometimes it can be easy to confuse the two. As humans we have so many complex emotions that we can struggle to understand how we feel ourselves. I always thought I was alone in sometimes getting nervous ahead of big sessions and races, and that this was a sign of weakness. I thought it signified a lack of confidence in my own ability but I realise this is only a normal reaction, and to be honest, I think I would be worried if I wasn’t nervous. We need the adrenaline to help us perform at a higher level and spark that race mindset. There is also a sense of pride that needs to be felt from getting nervous, but having the courage to go forward with what is scaring us. Whether it be an important race or something else, getting nervous only shows how much we care about the task ahead of us. 

So, this why my word for the year ahead is COURAGE, because I want to make more of an effort to believe in myself and go outside of my comfort zone, even when it may initially seem scary.