True courage is a daily practice. It’s not a one-time event or flash of inspiration. It’s a commitment; it is discipline and a way of life. Discipline is the ability to stay focused on what matters, to resist distractions and to keep moving forward even when progress is slow or invisible. When courage and discipline comes together they create unstoppable momentum. Commitment fuels discipline and discipline sustains courage. Courage requires showing up every single day even when you don’t feel like it. It requires discipline to push through discomfort, doubt and fear repeatedly.

Commitment is what transforms courage from a moment into a habit. What do the entrepreneurs and leaders that you admire have in common? They cultivate courage through the grind and relentless pursuit of their vision. Courage is not about taking big dramatic risks. Sometimes is about the quiet consistent choices to do what is right, to stay true to your values and to keep striving towards your goals. Courage helps you to develop resilience and to learn how to get up after failures and how to keep moving when hope fails.

Fear is the enemy of courage. Fear stopped the army of Israel from going to fight Goliath. Saul and all the Israel were afraid when Goliath challenged Israel’s whole army to a fight (1 Samuel 17:10). For 40 days, fear couldn’t let anyone come out and fight Goliath until David entered the battlefield. What made Israelite army to flee stirred up courage in the heart of young David. Courage doesn’t mean we don’t get afraid, it means we don’t let fear stop us. David refused to let fear stop him from going to fight Goliath. The Bible said that David asked men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1Samuel 17:26).

Saul sent for David, hearing his courageous words. David bold words to Saul: “I will fight this Philistine.” What are the Philistines standing on your way? Philistines represent obstacles, problems and challenges. You don’t fear whatever that represents the Philistine in your life, but you fight it.

You need courage to confront your fears and life challenges. By Saul’s assessment, David wasn’t able to fight Goliath because he was a youth (1 Samuel 17:33). Again, David had no training in battle. Furthermore, Goliath was a giant whose height was about nine and a half feet tall. Despite these limitations on the part of David, he took action to go and fight Goliath. Every success and breakthrough is just a step away. Learn to take a step today towards the realisation of your dreams, aspirations and goals. Success is achieved in taking a step forward.

The single solitary reason a few people ever achieve their dreams is unwillingness to do whatever it takes, for however, long it takes!

Many people quit. Most people don’t even try! The secret to success is in the “doing!” Be determined to take consistent steps towards the realisation of your goals. The hardest part of any journey is the first step. The good news is, once you have taken that first step and built up your confidence, the second and third steps become much easier. As Confucius said: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
• Today’s nugget: Fear is the enemy of courage. Phone contact: 07032361509
E-mail: [email protected]. Joel Ejiofor, life coach/strategist