5 Surprising Reasons You Need More Courage Now Than You Have Ever Needed Before.

Not everything in the list below will have universal applicability. Take from it what you will.

1. TV breeds fear at a breakneck pace. Last month, I was at my daughter’s gymnastics class, and some of us parents started talking. One of the mom’s says she’s going to the airport afterward to fly with her kid to NYC, where they’ll be meeting up with her husband for a long weekend. She says that she’s hopeful that there aren’t any attacks while they’re out there.When pressed about her fears, she says, flat out: you hear about this stuff on TV all the time…I wish this were an isolated incident, but it’s not. I run into these kinds of comments at least once a month, and when I dig, I generally find that beneath an off hand comment like “I hope there aren’t any attacks this weekend” lies a significant amount of real fear about a whole host of things, from pandemics to terrorism to the psychos next door, all traceable back to one news program or another.Have the courage to recognize that VA Tech was newsworthy not only because it is heartbreaking, but because it is still so rare. Don’t let it consume you to the point where you create a self-fulfilling prophecy!
2. Your spouse and children learn from your example. It’s not what you say, but how you act, that the people around you respond to. You can talk about how safe you feel all day long, but if you’re constantly sending your seven year old to go check and make sure the alarm is set before leaving for the night, you’ll raise someone who is fearful and mistrusting.Have the courage to live according to your beliefs. If you feel safe, then act safe. And if someone robs you, brush it off: there should be nothing you own that is so important it would crush you to lose it.
3. Your subordinates and peers are looking to draw energy from you. In areas where you are a leader, others will draw their energy from you. What energy will you have for them? Positive? Negative? Frenetic? Will you have enough for yourself and the others?Have the courage to stand at the front of the parade and let others file in behind you.
4. With so much change happening, you don’t need enemies trying to amplify your problems. It doesn’t take courage to have a fight, it takes courage to end one. Figure out what you need to do to get past the cycle of anger and revenge, and then do it.Have the courage to make the first move toward peace, as well as the second and third move. Have the courage to earn the other side’s trust when you know full well it will take a long time. And if escaping the dynamic by leaving is an option, have the courage to do so.
5. You’ll never look in the mirror and see anyone other than yourself, ever. Your problems will never go away until you face them. They will amplify, and the way you feel when you look at yourself and remind yourself of your little secrets will grow worse in time.Have the courage to deal with your problems and make them go away. Have the courage to let yourself be happy!

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.