Thursday, July 12, 2007

COURAGE: WHAT DO YOU WEIGH?

CourageCourage: What Do You Weigh?


At every point in our careers and life, we always have four cardinal indicators; they are - Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). Remember the SWOT analysis? I will like to define courage as focusing on the strengths and opportunities as we seek to forge ahead in our careers and life. It takes courage to ignore and look beyond the various excuses that daily try to overwhelm us as we try to attain our most dominant goals and aspirations. Excuses are like sharks whose sole objective is to subdue us and make us enter into oblivion and obscurity.
 It takes courage to be different
 It takes courage to change. Remember change is crucial now if we do not want to become irrelevant
 It takes courage to say I am wrong, please forgive me to your subordinates or colleagues at the workplace
 It takes courage to say I don’t know
 It takes courage to say I prefer not to do that
 It takes courage to invest part of your income in spite of the obvious present needs in your life.
 It takes courage to have an opportunity to revenge and not do it
 It takes courage to ask out a lady
 It takes courage to ask for more

Courage is an essential ingredient for greatness. When a man says no to a dubious opportunity, that is courage in action. It takes courage to speak under a repressive government. That is why it is said that every traitor is a coward. Stand up for the truth. Stand up for what you believe in. Bob Marley says stand up for your right. It takes courage to drop a resignation letter and embrace entrepreneurship. You have to be brave to think of providing your own electricity, refinery, water, security and handle area boys.

It is also important to know that it takes courage to try again, come back or fight again. I strongly believe that the odds are always in favor of the courageous. David was brave and he defeated Goliath. Daniel was brave and he survived the lions den. Even when courage does not succeed at an undertaken, it still attracts and retain honor. What do you have to lose anyway? After all cowards die many times before their death.

Building Your Courage Level
Be daring. Attempt greater goals. Succeed at what competition says cannot be accomplished. Believe in someone that others have given up on. Support a cause that is right and not popular. That it has not been done before is evidence that it can be done. I believe that you will attempt great things and yet succeed.

Oluyemi Adeosun
A Consultant with Generis Solutions
www.yemiadeosun.blogspot.com