Courage isn't the lack of fear it is deciding to do something in spite of fear or uncertainty.

When you become courageous enough to start living, you come alive!

How many years have passed with your same dreams and desires not being fulfilled year after year? How many times have you told yourself that you were going to stop a bad habit or start new, good habits? When you are putting things off for tomorrow, you are dead for today.

People may desire to wait for ideal conditions before proceeding toward their dream life. The excuses for not doing the things that will produce the person you want to become are countless but the end result of doing nothing can be summed up in one word--nothing. When you don't do the things that will produce a better life or that would help you to become a better person, you become stuck where you are--similar to a person who is in a coffin but who is still breathing.

Wishing, daydreaming, or just talking about a better life doesn't work. You may be saying, "This information is too obvious and elementary for my level of thinking. I have known these things since I was a child. Why would you want to share them in your popular newsletter?" The answer is simple, "It doesn't matter if you know something, it is far more important whether or not you're applying what you know."

Many brilliant people, who have obtained a vast amount of knowledge about a variety of subjects, don't apply what they know. So many people have shared their dreams and goals with me saying, "Someday I want to…." Well, we both know, that someday will probably will never come. As a matter of fact, people who are going somewhere in life, rarely share their dreams and goals with others. Successful people are so busy creating their dream life that they are too busy to just talk about it.

We are fast approaching the close of 2006. How was this year compared to your intentions and resolutions in January? Did you make more money? Did you lose that weight? Did you improve or change your relationship to be more in line with what you want? Did you really improve all that much and make significant progress toward your dream life?

Well, if you didn't make progress, don't get down on yourself because most people in the world are on your team. Only two percent of the population in any industrialized nation seriously work with goals; apply action steps; and live with enough structure to make significant improvements toward what they want. In other words, most people are walking, talking, and breathing physically, but are dead mentally and spiritually.

The sad part of any person's life is you really can create whatever you want, but you have to be courageous enough to go for it. If you look at successful people in any field, you will find they usually aren't the most intelligent; the most educated; or the most of anything other than courageous enough to face life, decisions, and actions that will produce the results they desire.

The good news is that courage isn't something that is developed or acquired it is a decision a person makes regardless of limiting circumstances.

What if you did what you know needs to be done whether you wanted to or not and whether you thought you could accomplish it? The answer is, "You would succeed." I'm not going to say it would be easy and you wouldn't face failures or hardships but I am saying success will eventually come to any person who is courageous enough to make a decision, take action, and continue on in the face of limitations.

We can gain an important lesson from the long running movie, "The Wizard of Oz." Remember what the Wizard of Oz told each of the characters, "…you had it all along…." The same goes for your potential and the things you desire. My favorite character was always the cowardly lion because he reminded me of so many good hearted (tin man), sound minded (scarecrow) people. Although many people have good intentions with enough intelligence to dream of what they want, they lack the courage (lion) to ever create it. The great news is, "You had courage all along."

Courage isn't something you learn or buy, it is a decision you make that regardless what is before you, you will Keep Going toward what you want. Regardless of any apparent limitation or odds stacked against you, you stay focused, take action, and proceed toward your dream life and guess what? You will accomplish it--whatever it is.

When we become courageous enough to Do It Now, we start to do two things:

1. We begin to create the life and things we want and eliminate the life and things we don't want.
2. We begin to experience serendipitous miracles on a regular basis. Impossibilities fall to the wayside and possibilities continue to unfold.

No matter what you're putting off and no matter when you are telling yourself you'll get around to it or why you can't Do It Now, you are lacking courage to confront your life and work at hand. This passive approach (procrastination) to life will create depression, more fear, and stagnation. You will become stuck day after day and year after year.

When a person isn't creating the things he or she wants in life, they are usually creating the things they don't want. Hardships will come and go, but courage will keep you moving toward the destination of your dreams. Don't adjust your life according to what you don't feel like doing or apparent limitations. Continue on in spite of yourself, the fear, or the lack of motivation. Just do it and Do It Now!

Here is an experiment you can do with yourself that I have shared with thousands of people worldwide. The end result for everyone is always the same.

1. For 24-hours have the courage to confront everything in your life. Whatever you've been putting off or avoiding, for one-day face-it and get it done. It could be eating better, making certain telephone calls or doing some things that you've been procrastinating for a while.
2. At the end of the 24-hours, observe your mood and energy. You will notice a significant increase in your overall happiness. You will feel more hopeful. You will feel more alive!

A successful, happy life doesn't just happen--we have to create it and the key element is courage.

Instead of waiting for January to make the merry-go-round, New Year's resolution, why don't you Do It Now?

Instead of waiting for a better time or day to get something done, why don't you Do It Now?

Instead of waiting to move toward your dream life, why don't you Do It Now?

A little courage can go a long way. Your life will expand or contract according to your courage.

I like what the Greek Philosopher, Aristotle said, "Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others." What does courage guarantee? Everything. Everything you want; everything you desire; and everything you deserve.

Be courageous enough to become the person you dream of being. The only way you will ever really know yourself is to courageously allow your real self to come forward. Get rid of the lingering negatives and experience something wonderful--you.

As you step forward doing the necessary things that will create what you want, regardless of fears or not feeling like it, you will become happier. As you become happier, you will shine more to others as if you were a light that had been turned on. When you are shining, the world becomes a brighter place.

I'm off to play and hope you are too. Until next time, I leave you with a funny Irish saying my good friend and client from Ireland bids me at the end of each coaching call for good luck, "May you be in heaven a half-hour before the devil knows you're dead."

As always, I am

In loving service,
Dr. Michael J. Duckett
770-518-8762
© Copyright Dr. Michael J. and Leslie P. Duckett 2005
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