The Heart of Courage: More Than Bravery
The word courage springs from the heart — not just in language, but in its very essence. While our stories and celebrations have painted courage as dramatic acts of bravery, the true energy of courage flows much deeper and quieter than facing down our greatest fears.
I’ve sat with countless Freedom Kin sharing their life journeys, and when I ask if they see themselves as courageous, they often say no. Despite navigating trauma, choosing kindness in hardship, or showing up consistently for what matters, they don’t recognize their own courage. Like artists who doubt their creativity because their work isn’t hanging in galleries, they’ve absorbed a limited view of what courage means.
In building a thriving life, courage manifests as a lifestyle — not in grand gestures or feats of willpower, but in consistent, heart-centered choices.
The heart generates the strongest electromagnetic field in our body, reaching far beyond our physical form, connecting us in ways science is still discovering. This energy touches everyone around us, palpable across space and time.
Yet, so many of us live in our heads, constantly analyzing, thinking about what’s next, should be next, must be next. While there’s nothing wrong with thinking, it’s not the same as living from the heart — what I call “heartistry.” True courage invites us to shift from mere thinking to feeling and being.
The people I’ve been blessed to work with have shown me that courage emerges when we stay present with our past without getting lost in it, when we bridge the gap between our aspirations and reality, when we accept uncomfortable feelings like regret or uncertainty. It springs from a deep yearning — not just to survive, but to thrive, to create relationships based on authentic connection rather than mere transaction.
Your heart knows things your head can’t explain. When we pause and drop from our racing thoughts into our heart’s wisdom, we access a deeper kind of courage. This courage guides us toward choices that align with what truly matters, both in life’s big decisions and in each moment’s small choices.
Being courageous doesn’t mean you need to go skydiving or confront dragons. It means showing up with an open heart, day-after-day, creating value through presence rather than just performance. It means trusting that gut feeling filtered through heart wisdom, which often whispers “pause here” instead of screaming “run away.”
This is the courage that builds a truly thriving life — the courage to take that next step, to speak that word, to write, to love. Now and onwards, let’s embrace this heart-centered courage together.