THE AWAKENING

Often when people think of courage, they think of a response to facing something outside of themselves. It could be an opponent, a championship, a promotion. However, when I think of courage, I think of the willingness to embrace and trust in our own authenticity, preparation, and ability. The difference is the fight against something else versus the fight against ourselves.

It took me a while to understand that is where the true battle lives. Courage is an unrelenting belief in self so powerful that you are willing to invest the time, sacrifice, patience, and effort necessary to be your best AND to be willing to risk all possibilities of an outcome to bet on your potential.

Coach K (NCAA 5x championship and Hall of Fame basketball coach) once said, “if you put a plant in a jar, it will take the shape of the jar. If you allow the plant to grow freely, twenty jars might not be able to hold it.”

I challenge that statement to go even deeper. Who put you in the jar? Someone else or yourself? Have you ever thought of what you could become if you were planted in the ground with infinite potential to grow? Given the choice, would you stay comfortable in the security of the jar or have the courage to break out?

The thing is, we always have a choice, we just don’t always have the courage. It’s safe in the jar, it’s predictable, it’s secure. But, it’s also very, very limiting.

I spent many years in a jar even though it never felt right and I knew I was different than everyone else in there. However, I chose to believe the jar defined me. By doing so, I let others define me.

The funny thing is, the people closest to me know I’m different than people who like the comfortable jar. I think differently, I act differently, my path has always been different. So, when I finally allowed my roots to hit the edge of that jar, knowing I was meant to break out, I had to confront how conflicted I was about allowing myself to stay in there.

Throughout my journey, I have been held back, knocked down, quit on myself, cried, screamed at the top of my lungs, had moments where I could barely breathe, lost sleep, felt joy, grew, laughed, failed repeatedly, until I finally realized, I was actually the one who planted my seed in that jar. I was the one who was limiting myself. I was the one too afraid to trust in myself.

When that realization hit me, it all changed and a fire ignited inside of me. Next thing I knew, the inferno was raging and I was going to burn it all down to build it back up.

Was it emotional? Yes. Was it easy? No, it was terrifying! But the fear of staying in the same place hoping for change was far greater than the urge to break the glass.

In hindsight, that jar was exactly where I was meant to be at the time. My jar was filled with the most brilliant and inspiring individuals driven towards excellence who taught me much of what I know and eventually helped me develop enough courage inside myself to break free.

I spent too many years hoping for a hero to come give me the perfect opportunity. I worked my ass off, sacrificing so much, to learn as much as I could. I wanted to be ready when the time came, but all along, I was the hero. It was me who was limiting myself, no one was going to save me but me.

I didn’t need anyone else to believe in me, I needed to believe in myself. Every perceived failure at that point, was just preparing me, taking me one step closer to where I was meant to be.

So, now when I think of courage, it takes on a whole new meaning. There is so much potential inside each and every one of us and more often than not, it is ourselves keeping us safe and cozy right there in the confines of “good enough.” I could never settle for “good enough.”

If you know you’re different, if you know there is something special about you, don’t hold back. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Fight for you. Explore every option to push yourself out of your comfort zone and every opportunity to improve. Surround yourself by people who challenge you to elevate the greatness within you. Be brave, shatter the glass jar, and let yourself grow into who you were always meant to be.

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