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“We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.” ~ Brené Brown
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I worked in a corporate environment for 15 years across continents before starting my online conscious coaching practise.
While working in a corporate job, I was under constant pressure to “do more” coupled with feelings of “not good enough” and a need to “think outside the box,” which left me feeling stuck and disconnected from my true self.
For the last three years of my corporate career, I dreamed every day of leaving my job and doing something that served my authenticity. Since becoming a mom, I have been fascinated by the conscious parenting approach.
Many times, I thought about enrolling in a parenting course, but each time I had some excuse, not enough time, not enough money.
I thought in my mind that I was taking an action, but in reality, I was doing nothing toward my dream.
One day, I had a bad day at work and I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore. I was checking my emails and I got the invitation to join the Conscious Parenting Coaching Institute.
I could really hear the voices in my head saying don’t sign up for this course, it’s very expensive, it’s demanding, what if you can’t do it. But that day, something inside me said just go for it. I enrolled in the course and after rigorous study, I became a certified coach. My journey didn’t end there.
I asked myself, what’s next? What do you want to do now? Again those voices came up: you can’t leave your job and start something from scratch. You don’t know how long it will take to set up a coaching business. You have no business experience or knowledge. You can’t do it.
I was scared in those moments; I thought, I’ll ask my boss if I can reduce my working hours so I can learn how to set up an online coaching business. I went to work and arranged a meeting with my boss. I had told her before, but that day she was supposed to tell me if it was possible or not. I was hoping that it would work out because reducing working hours is a common thing in the company.
But as you know, reality is different from fantasy. We started our meeting and she said, “I’m sorry, we don’t think a reduction in hours is an option at the moment.”
To be honest, I took a minute to process what I had heard and, without thinking, I said I wanted to resign. She asked me, “Are you sure?”
I remember exactly what I said, “If I am not sure now, I will never be sure about anything in my life.”
I quit my job; I quit to follow my dreams. I quit to bridge the gap between my reality and my fantasy.
That day, I learnt that if there’s one resource that’s essential to living a meaningful life, it’s undoubtedly courage.
The courage to go after what we want and believe will make us happy.
Many of us live two parallel lives—one grounded in reality and the other in the realm of fantasy. Our day-to-day lives aren’t bad, but deep down, we feel they could be better if we dared to make choices, take leaps, and create our own destiny.
I now believe that happiness is a daily choice that blossoms from inner work and influences our outer actions. Courage lies at the opposite end of our fears, both real and irrational. Facing these fears propels us into the bravest zones of our personality, making us stronger with each step.
People who live courageously aren’t afraid of death. But those who are consumed by fear spend their lives rehearsing, never actually going on stage.
Conscious parenting has also taught me that fear is not worth my life. My life is in this moment. True empowerment comes from action, not just contemplation. Facing our greatest fears and emerging alive and resilient is the silver lining of courage.
I am liberated because my greatest fear has materialised and yet I endure.
I have chosen to live consciously. As children of impermanence, we sometimes forget how quickly time passes. We forget that life is finite and we keep putting off our dreams. But time flies! We shouldn’t waste our chances or miss our goals; we need to be brave and go for what we really want. Postponing desires for the illusion of eternity leads to an unlived life.
Let me ask you: if you were more aware of your mortality, wouldn’t you take more risks? Wouldn’t you prioritise better and stop being afraid of making mistakes?
What seems easy at first can get harder over time, but facing our fears makes the journey easier.
That moment when my boss said no to me awakened courage in me, which means questioning my reality, thinking differently, and embracing uncertainty. Making decisions in the face of uncertainty saved me from drowning in doubt.
Today, I take responsibility for how I choose to live and look beyond the challenges of the moment.
We aren’t born with psychological courage; it develops through maturation and inner work. We’re here to unfold, to dare, and to discover our potential. Leaving this world more expanded than armoured is our true purpose.
I invite you to ask yourself: “What small steps can I take today to develop courage and move closer to the life I want to live?”
Let courage be your guide on this incredible journey of self-discovery and conscious living.
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