To me, courage is what propels me forward in my life, including a healthy dose of fear. Someone once said, “courage is to feel fear and do it anyway”. That description rings true to me and my belief that true courage is the ability to move forward alongside the fear. It is the ability to say, “I see your fear, you can stick around if you want but I have things to do”.
Step Four in the “Victory Dance” is all about facing difficulty and feeling the fear that comes with it and moving forward regardless of the seemingly crazy circumstances.
I view life as a dress rehearsal, sometimes things work as planned and sometimes they don’t. Being comfortable with the unknown and uncertainty while moving forward and figuring things out is the process that creates enough wisdom to make changes, to try different things that ultimately lead to resolution.
My life has been fueled by my need to show up despite setbacks. I practiced for many years, overcoming the shame and fear I felt around my Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. I was very focused at a young age and I worked hard at moving my life forward, not letting my limitations affect my abilities.
I discovered that there is something so liberating about taking charge of my own life. It was hard but I knew if I set my mind to something, I could make it happen. The turning point for me was realizing that things needed to change. With that realization, I chose not to be driven by fear and lack of belief in myself and kept moving toward my end goal, which is this case, was financial independence. I took the opportunity to dispel my belief that I could not care for myself because I was labeled ‘sick.’ I chose to act with courage in every aspect of my life. Was it hard? Absolutely.
Facing my fear and lack of belief in myself became fuel to truly transform my situation.
Step Four in my book “Dance Because You Can“, outlines the trials and tribulations of my life. I share overcoming my diabetes challenges, financial ruin, the bus accident including court proceedings, and my return to the dance world. Living my life with courage allowed me to successfully navigate all its obstacles.
Courage shows up in the smallest of actions every day, it does not have to be only the big and auspicious. I still get nervous, but Step Four of the Victory Dance continues to remind me there is power in showing up and doing it anyway, regardless of fear. The path may be long and painful but Step Four is crucial for creating your Victory Dance.
What does courage look like in your life? What action can we take right now to transform our trauma to triumph?