INTER OLYMPIC gold medalist Picabo Street said, “To uncover your true potential you must first find your own limits and then you have to have the courage to blow past them.”

We do not come to our potential without struggle. Most of life is not under our control, but that’s where our opportunity lies.

Courage can push us beyond our imagined limits. Courage leads to the persistence required to practice consistently to a desired end.

The most common fear leader's face is the fear of failure. You will face moments when you want to back down because everything inside of you says, “Don’t take the risk.” It is in those moments that your decision to hold back or jump will determine the defining moments of your life. When we look back over our lives, the extraordinary moments, the turning points in our lives required pushing through the fear. Our potential is just beyond our fear.

Courage requires clarity, energy, direction, and action. Courage means taking the first step into the unknown that begins the process to a positive, desired end. When we demonstrate courage, we open the doors to other virtues like humility, kindness, patience, and persistence. All require courage.

Courage is contagious. Billy Graham said, “When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.” If we, as Street said, have the courage to blow past our own limits and step into a new place, we will encourage others to do the same. People feel our courage and will, in time model courage in their own lives. We owe it to those we lead to face uncertainty and the accompanying risks and blow past them.

What courageous action should you take today?

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This post is adapted from the LeadershipNow newsletter: Lead:ology February 2018. Take a moment to add yourself to the e-mail list.

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Posted by Michael McKinney at 08:18 AM
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