Courage: The Time is Here and Now

The theme of courage confronts our lives from birth to death.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "If a man or a woman has not discovered something they are willing to die for, then perhaps they're not fit to live."

This kind of courage Dr. King referenced is soul-wrenching and purpose-driven. It goes beyond ME and transforms into a unified vision of WE. The world has never needed courageous leadership more.

The time is here and now. We can no longer sit on the bench or in the stands as spectators wishing and hoping someone else will make the play or call the right formation to meet this unique moment in time. As leaders and positive difference-makers, we must do better. We must demand better. We must do what is right, not what is comfortable. This awakened change must first start within — with active listening, self-awareness, self-education, self-accountability, self-reckoning, and self-action.

When we live with courage, we not only change our lives — we transform the lives of those we love and lead. We must look ourselves in the mirror while exploring the fabric of our society and organizations. We must recommit to standing together and standing upon the foundation of truth, righteousness, and grace.

The journey of life and discovery will test our courage. This moment is testing us in an abundance of ways. But the words we say and the acts we take will become part of the ancestral stories told when we are gone.

Love needs to become the way we live and lead. So ask yourself, who can we inspire today with our action to live courageously?

We must be bold, brave, and fearless to show up in our pursuits to find a way. Each day we must practice the discipline of courage. When in doubt, return to the present moment and realize our purpose goes beyond ourselves.

• Be a person of goodwill.

• Don't die before you die.

• Bear witness to the truth.

• Do something memorable.

• Constantly reinvent yourself.

• Seek to understand, not judge.

• Have more robust discussions.

• Refuse to be defined by others.

• Live differently — be uncommon.

• There is a lot of growing up to do.

• Daily mission: search and discover.

• Know the person as a human being.

• Work and think at the highest levels.

• Continue to cheat death through action.

• Get into “good trouble, necessary trouble.”

• Live life intentionally reckless — take chances.

• Find things about yourself that need to be uncovered.

• Allow no person to have a chokehold on your mind.

• Celebrate the freedom to be who it is you want to be.

So with the life and breath we have, how will we invoke today's challenges into tomorrow's opportunities for growth? Be kind — do as much good as you can and for as long as you can. As the late great hero, icon and freedom fighter Congressman John Robert Lewis wrote shortly before his death, "I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring."

The time is here and now.

P.S. If you are in search of a book recommendation, our team at The Daily Coach highly recommends Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change by Congressman John Lewis. The book draws from Lewis’ experience as a prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement to offer timeless wisdom, poignant recollections, and powerful principles for anyone interested in challenging injustices and inspiring real change toward a freer, more peaceful society.

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