Courage is a Choice ?

Choose Courage – Persevere

In the face of adversity, what will you choose?

*I was 14 years-old the first time I found myself laying in a hospital bed. What I didn’t know then, was that I would spend the next three years of my life fighting for my health. I missed more school days than I attended, and to my dismay, I was forced to hang-up my skates as my competitive hockey days came to an abrupt end. With every passing day, I fell further and further behind in every realm of my life. I missed out on some of the most critical years of development and I spent three years wondering, why me?

I sometimes wonder how many others have faced this very same question. I was just a kid, I didn’t deserve to have those years stolen from me, but sadly they were. I was left with a choice; I could either give in and give up, or I could dig deep and fight. I chose to fight.

That’s the thing, we all have choices in life. I chose to make up for lost time, I chose to run my first half marathon 8 months after surgery. I chose to apply to university that same year. I chose to persevere and stay determined through 4 of the most mentally and emotionally challenging years of my life. I chose to ask for help. I chose courage.

In her New York Times best seller, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth explains success. She doesn’t talk about IQ, or being the smartest person in the room. Instead, she says success is made up of so much more – it is made up of perseverance in the pursuit of a task, mission or journey in spike of obstacles, it is made up of passion, and it is made up courage. Success is about recognizing that failure is not permanent, but rather just a part of the journey. Success is about being willing to fail, to be wrong, and to start all over again with lessons learned. Success is about strength and undeniable determination. Success is about grit.

Pain, disappointment, and failure are inevitable as humans. This was a lesson I learned at a very young age. However, I chose not to let this pain, disappointment, and failure define who I would become. I chose to follow my dreams of becoming a clinical counsellor and making a difference in other people’s lives, despite the adversity I faced.

In the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the words I’ve come to live by,

“For what it’s worth… it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you’ve never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again”.

I chose to make the best of it. I chose to start over again. I chose courage. I chose grit.

I hope you choose courage, connection and hope 🙂

*****

*This post was submitted by a very brave young lady… Thanks to her for having the courage to overcome adversity as she is now in the helping profession assisting others to uncover their inner courage 🙂