The Core of Courage: The heart, soul’s purpose, and other
authentic tools
How do you define courage? Are you living up to your own
definition and expectations?
For me, courage means living the life I have imagined from
an open, genuine heart space. It means that I am kind, act from a place of
compassion and grace even when I am feeling sad, betrayed, discouraged, or
facing any sort of adversity. It is the gap in between raw vulnerability and
incredible strength. IT is taking responsibility and striving to be the best
version of yourself each day.
Courage is where I go
when I need to dig deep and tap into my heart space. Courage is writing this
blog, teaching yoga, practicing as a visually impaired doctor, and living in
this crazy world. Courage is my authentic self and a place I choose to live.
Originally, courage meant to tell one’s mind by expressing
themselves from their heart. It comes from the Latin “cor” which means heart.
Over time it warped into this distorted definition about being physically strong
or capable and moved away from the heart. We shielded our hearts and taught
ourselves that emotions are bad and that we must build walls around our hearts
for protection. We moved away from telling our authentic self because we feared
rejection, being vulnerable and possibly getting hurt.
Personally I feel most in my power when I am vulnerable.
This is where I thrive and can hopefully role model ease and grace. As I go in
deep I find ways to show more love when someone is hurting me. This is not something
that came naturally to me, this is a lifetime of practice and mistakes. This is
31 years of being hurt, hyper sensitive, and closed off. I had to constantly feel rejected by my peers,
community, and society before I learned true courage. Courage was not going
under the knife for 30 eye surgeries… it is showing genuine compassion for a
friend in need after giving everything I have to my patients for 12 hours. It
is digging so deep and asking that friend, “How can I best support you right
now?” Courage is knowing when to be quiet and listen to a friend or to your own
body.
Setting boundaries is an act of courage. Knowing that your
friends or lovers will respect you more when you set boundaries will decrease
stress and enhance your self-esteem. Pragmatism is not an act of true courage;
being practical is fear disguised as selflessness. Role model this behavior for
your friends and loved ones! Express and show them unconditional love while
respecting yourself. This is expressing deep love for others around you and
most importantly for yourself.
Another way to show true courage is to act with complete
grace under the most stressful situations. If someone is verbally attacking
you, breaking up with you, or insulting your character in any way… dig a bit
deeper? What are they going through? Why are they acting out of fear and not
from a space of genuine courage? When you can be calm, go deep into your heart
center and show them compassion…. You are being super courageous! This does not
mean that you do not care or that you are weak. It is the complete opposite! As
you tap into their stress, fears, anxiety, self-doubt, or negative emotions it
is important not to take on this energy.
Stay grounded, wash your hands or even arms if you were hugging them and
then took on some of their energy. This
is so important for health care workers, massage therapist, even yoga teachers.
I recommend taking a shower to help remove the energy you collected from your
patients or clients that day. It will
cleanse your soul and allow your energy centers not to be drained. Do this
after work, before your evening plans, so you can show up fully for yourself
and the people around you.
If you are constantly searching for instant gratification
your mind or out loud say what you are grateful for and do this daily.
Gratitude vibrates on almost the same level or frequency as love. As you practice an attitude of gratitude you
will vibrate at a higher frequency, express your authentic self from your
loving heart space, and practice complete courage.
Did you know that the heart has an electromagnetic field
that is 60x stronger than the brain? Think about all of that energy! Releasing
a mechanistic mindset that is obsessed with instant gratification will allow
for an attitude of gratitude. Recognize that everything in your own body is
connected and through energy centers like the heart space, we are
connected. Place your hand over your heart
space when you meditate, hug heart to heart, drop into your heart and feel
yourself become more grounded. Stop over analyzing, trying to be practical, and
allow yourself to feel! If you are stuck in your head, you will never feel
fully the amazing expression of love radiating from your heart. If you are
stuck in your head, you are hiding from courage.
Courage tool kit
1 Set a timer for 10 – 20 minutes each morning and just
write!
2 Meditate / pray every day and practice gratitude
3 Get daily movement through exercise or yoga
4 Set boundaries for yourself and people around you. Give
permission to yourself to be upset about something for x seconds or minutes a then
let it go!
5 Practice courage through compassion. Ask yourself “what is the greater lesson
here?” move away from looking for a cure.
6 Wash hands, arms, or bathe / shower to remove stagnant energy
or negative energy you may have picked up during the day. Cleanse your energy
centers this way before going back out into the world.
7 Breathe!
Are you ready to be courageous? Are you excited to live a
fully authentic life and radiate love???! I hope so and I am here to support
you.
Dedicated to authenticity,
Dr.Elizabeth M. Wisniewski
Vitalistic Visionary, Yoga Teacher, Chiropractor
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