Journal Power: 7 Steps to Build Courage

What an old-fashioned word courage is! We think of it in relation to our troops overseas, but don’t often apply it to ourselves in everyday life. Yet it’s one of the most revered virtues a person can manifest. Have you journaled about how courage works in your life?

It takes courage just to get up in the morning sometimes, to drive the highway, pick up the phone, create anything, or to begin any project. So we put courage to use on all kinds of levels, constantly.

When you take it to your journal, though, you may find your courage getting stronger. You may realize you’re capable of growth and actions that before seemed beyond your reach.

The process of journal writing loosens up the grip of fear. Like yoga or meditation, journaling puts breathing space between your thoughts so that you can view them more objectively. It untangles the contents of mind so that perception can clear.

Sometimes we realize that we need to strengthen our courage. For whatever reason – a challenge on the horizon like a move or new job, a desire to improve personal effectiveness in any area, or even something sudden and scary like an accident or a relationship breaking up – it becomes all too clear that courage in abundance is what’s called for.

If what you really feel like doing is curling up in a ball and sleeping through it, you know how incredibly hard it can be to muster courage in these situations. The fact that we even think about surviving such challenges is tribute to our bravery.

You’re braver than you think. You. Can. Do. It. Especially with a journal’s help.

1. Write about the demand for courage. What’s happening that’s scary or otherwise challenging? What’s forcing you to be brave?
2. Write a list of examples of courage you’ve seen or known about. Make another list of times you yourself have been courageous.
3. Write about what will happen if you are not courageous, if you take the path that requires the least effort from you.
4. Write a story about a superhero who swoops in and makes everything right for you. Describe the character and actions of this superhero in detail.
5. Write out a teeny tiny plan. A one-step plan. Let it contain one small action related to the thing that is requiring you to be courageous, one small item that you will make happen tomorrow. Then repeat this process again over subsequent days.
6. Write about how things will be when your courage has brought you to a place of peace, when you’ve mastered the challenges and overcome your fears.
7. Write a longer plan, outlining steps to completely master your challenge by building up your courage. Congratulate yourself generously as each milestone is reached. 

It’s outrageous how much courage is asked of us in a lifetime. Seems like things should be easier, but they’re not. Thank goodness a journal can make the ride so much smoother!

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Like so much else in life, courage is built day by day. You can ease into a daily journaling habit with a Morning Pages routine, a daily pen-to-page exercise of stream of conciousness writing.  Find out all about it here.