The Gift of Little Wins

Each day can have a little win..... photo credit: My husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Little Wins

“Can’t clean up the whole room?  Clean the corner of it.  Can’t do all the dishes? Do a dish.

Can’t get in the shower? Wash your face.  Always look for the thing you can do, with the energy and focus you do have.  Little wins pave the way for bigger wins.”

Unknown

You wake up in the morning already feeling like the day is spent. 

Your motivation, your umph has come and went. 

So many tasks and chores and little things.

You need to get them done but your energy is at zero.

How do you tackle this murkish mire?

You pick one task even if it is small.

Put up a dish. Fold a shirt. Brush your teeth.  Sweep up some dirt. 

Look for the activities that you can do.  

Don’t give up, don’t keep trying. 

One percent is better than zero percent any given day.

On day one that activity may be a beaten path. 

The next day there might be a dirt road that is easier to pass.

As days go on, the road changes to gravel and finally when you keep going the road will be paved and easy to travel. 

Have you ever seen the meme of a frog holding the throat of a herron trying to eat him? Even when he was about to be lunch,,,, but.. he was not going to give up.  We all have days where we just can’t muster the strength to do much of anything.  But, are those days good for us where we do absolutely nothing?  Think about it, even when you are on vacation, you still have to do minimal activities for personal hygiene.  Like going to the restroom.  So with that thought in mind let us talk about little wins.  Did you know we are hardwired for some sort of structure?  Even if it is minimal. When we do not engage in even minimal activity our stress level automatically goes up.  Interesting, right? Some of you are probably thinking, “A routine! I have too much going on for even something small!  I just need a break!” My husband has a routine that is written in a program on his computer.  He is so structured that his morning routine is exactly 42 minutes.  He has a playlist on the computer to time his tasks.  He makes notes just about every day about what he accomplished and what he could do better.  I know, that is a lot.  If he misses a day he feels absolutely terrible.  His stress level immediately skyrockets by quite a lot.  Most of us don’t need that level of routine in our life.. but something small could lead to a life even bigger.  So if you are overwhelmed, start with something small.  A set time to eat, a set time to go to sleep.  Or even a set time to just contemplate a routine.  Predictability is much better than uncertainty, right?  Doing something adds a bit of expectedness which relieves a little stress in your mind and spirit.  Having said all of this, don’t be too hard on yourself if you try and fail many times.  The point is that you are trying.  I recently read a small little blog about successful people that have routines.  All of them had a key theme about them.  Almost all of them had some sort of breakfast, even if it was small.  All of them had set meal times and they all had some sort of schedule.  Yes, there will be days that you can only do a little but don’t quit!  I will leave you all with this quote by John Maxwell, “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily.  The secret to your success is found in your daily routine.”.  

Afterthought….  Having health struggles in the last few months has really brought this into focus in my life.  The little steps really do matter.  Those steps become wider, longer, a greater stride and they go farther over time. 

The Gift of Remember... Be Thankful.

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

Sunset recently..... thought of these musings when whis verse I wrote came to mind. We remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11 and after.

Thankfulness is a mindset.. a chosen way to be.. when all you see around you is calamity. The news, the zeitgeist, the leaders, and all that folks convey.. is sadness, madness and general dismay. Thankfulness is a knowing, a spiritual mindedness.. that even when times are ridiculous you can possess.. a mindset, a perspective that lends itself to be... a humbleness to know to count all the blessings that surround you.. even the ones you cannot see. So please practice thankfulness, and you will see... a change in your perspective that will help you in times of catastrophe.

God Bless Those who lost loved ones on 9/11. God Bless those who gave after in war, illness, etc.. those who have had their lives impacted by this day in so many ways.

May we pray, May we heal, Me we start a movement of goodness. May we learn that those that try to take our joy... they may just need a little love and prayer. To help them understand life is a grand adventure. Let's find what joy that we can.

Check out my column at Patheos! Positive Pensees

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/positivepensees

The Gift of Hope

Photo credit... my husband.  I see you stars!

 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Hope

“Never lose hope, one day you will thank yourself for not giving up.”

Unknown

Hope. 

What does that term mean?

A feeling of trust. 

A feeling of expectation.

A desire for a certain thing. 

The phrase, “Hope springs eternal” comes to mind.

But when life gets really tough, do you keep hope in your mind?

Do you pray?

Do you meditate?

Do you sit and ask for peace?

Or, do you become very anxious and take the weight of the problem from the the top of your head to the bottom of your feet?

Why have hope?

Why think that things could get better?

Because dear readers, that simple change in mindset already sets the domino effect of things looking better. 

Counting your blessings, naming them one by one.

Look to those things that are beautiful in your life, rather than those than are dark and should be shunned. 

Should we ignore the situation?

Absolutely not!

But plant a seed of hope and watch that seed take off!

It will grow, it will flower and even bear some fruit.

So that you can grow in faith for both you and teach others about hope and truth.

I stepped out onto the porch this morning and was a little chilly!  I have a rather silly pair of slippers that look like unicorns.  They are sight to behold.  I also have a sweater that looks like the coat of many colors that Joseph wore in the Bible. I probably look like a crazy lady to the neighbors. The crisp air reminded me of hope.  Why?  I am not sure.  What happens when you hope?  It increases happiness, reduces stress and improves your quality of life.  I must confess dear readers… well…  that my hope tank has been very empty for many, many months.  I have dealt with a good deal of health issues regarding a certain drug that was mass given last year.  For some, it helped greatly.  For me.  Not so much.  I was sick several times a day.  SEVERAL.  My fundamental view of food changed.  I became afraid of it.  I became afraid to even consume it because I would immediately get very sick.  Fast forward, and well.  I have spent a good deal of time in the hospital for the last few weeks.  The reason why?  Malnutrition.  I have had hours of magnesium infusions among other things.  The feeling of a magnesium infusion is like burning lava going straight into your veins.  You have to keep your arm a certain way for many hours.  It is just plain uncomfortable.  Now, why am I having this whine fest….. I will tell you,  As I was sitting in my hospital bed at 3 am… I sent my husband home.  I knew I would be there for hours.  I wanted him to have a little rest because he planned to work the next morning.  I worked myself up into a pity party tizzy.  My legs were shaking, I was crying.  I looked up at the ceiling and said, “WHY GOD??”  It was oscar worthy.  In that moment, I realized that I had lost hope.  I had lost faith, I had lost my ability to see that guess what?  I get to go home.  Some of these folks in this place will close their eyes and meet their maker.  I started to think about what I had been saying to my kids.  My tank is so empty.  I feel no hope. I am just so weary.  I was ashamed.  I had regret.  At that moment, I prayed that God would help me change my attitude to one of hope. To be a better example for my kids.  Not to deny what was going on by any means.   But rather, look through the lens of hope.  Hope unsticks the icky in your life.  Hope makes you smile to know that things could be way worse.  Hope takes the icky off of your clothes and makes them smell better.  Hope takes the “sweaters” off your teeth when you don’t brush.  Hope lets others know that they can dig it out of the well and make it through their situation.  Today, yes.  I am tired.  I choose hope.  I leave you all with this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King. “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”  I may be kicking and screaming.  I may be gritting my teeth but I see you stars!  I see the hope that they will shine bright and this too shall pass.  I hope you are encouraged dear readers. Let us find those stars of hope.

The Gift of the Courage to Continue

Courage....  prayer... reflection.   Photo credit:  My husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of the Courage to Continue

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Winston Churchill 

We sit, we dream, we dread, we pray.

To live out the dream in our own special way. 

The thing about dreams coming true is the tenacity and will to see things through.

The hard work, the discipline, the grit and desire. 

All have to be experienced, even as we tire. 

We tire of toil, we fall down, and lose our way. 

But remember dear reader, life is all about grace. 

Grace for yourself, grace for others and courage are a necessity. 

Remember we fall, we even scrape our knees, but we always get up.

We see more clearly and carefully and we shake off the dust. 

Have courage to continue even when you stumble and fall and even lose your way.

Remember to reach that pivotal moment, let courage continue to bring light to your day.

*I wrote this last Christmas.  As I sit at home and contemplate life… this one little writing spoke to me. I need a good dose of prayer and courage to continue these days for sure.  

Today is a particularly lonely day at our home, the Christmas decorations are up, the house is festive.  Yet it is still hard to be cheerful.  After spending time meditating and counting the blessings that abound in life, I realized that it is the absence of the sound of kids that caused the sense of melancholy.  They are all off at college living their lives.  This is a parent’s dream, yet it also has a sense of sadness.  The first success so to say is that we have launched six adult kids into the world. Now, it is as if life has taken a little falling down.  The knees are scraped, we are looking around and wondering.  What next?  Courage.  Rather than wallow in pity it is time to be courageous.  To take on the situation that scares us.  The next chapter.  After a little prayer and mediation it is time to do something new, learn a new avenue of expression.  Spend more time with my husband.  The possibilities are endless.  In the grand scheme of things we all have our moments where we have to face what scares us and be brave. I have written a good deal about musicians and music.  Out of curiosity I did a little research about which famous musicians have/had severe stage fright.  I was actually a little surprised.  Amongst the classical musicians there was Frederic Chopin, Glen Gould, Vladimir Horowitz to name a few.  Chopin wrote an immense body of piano works that in my humble opinion are some of the best pieces ever written.  Glen Gould was known for his mastery of playing Bach’s Inventions with ease.  Vladimir Horowitz was probably one of the best pianists of the twentieth century. All of these great composers suffered some form of stage fright.  If you ever look up Glen Gould or Horowitz you will see they played with such finesse and ease you would never know they are really nervous.  In more modern day music musicians such as Eddie Van Halen, Brian Wilson and even Cher suffer from stage fright.  Eddie van Halen some would argue is one of the best guitarists of our time.  I would say he is on par with Brian May or some other notable guitarists.  If you watch him play, he looks like he just does it with his eyes closed, never paying attention to the frets on his guitar.  Brian Wilson’s body of work is pretty amazing.  He was the primary driver for the Beach Boys.  In each of these stories that I read they all had times where these performers experienced both great success and great failure.  Some took some time away from performing to dust off their knees and get their chutzpah back, while others tolerated the booing crowd and kept going.  In each case, they never gave up their courage.  They continued to learn from both their success and their failures to keep soldiering on and finding a way to perfect their craft.  As a musician, we are a judgy bunch.  We want perfection as if Bach himself never made a mistake when he wrote his Concertos and Preludes and Fugues.  I would wager he had a dud performance and an amazing performance.  In all of these situations there was a common theme.  Courage.  I will leave you with the words of Theodore Roosevelt: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”.  Find that courage and continue.

Source: howstuffworks.com, wqxr.com

The Gift of Fingerprints

Make those good fingerprints all around you.....  Photo credit.. my husband.

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Fingerprints

“Our fingerprints don’t fade from the lives we touch.”

Judy Blume

A fingerprint is unique to both you and to me.

When we leave a fingerprint, we leave a part of ourselves. 

If someone were to take a microscope and look at the prints you left. 

Would they be of edification and good intent?

Even when we don’t realize it, we leave prints of ourselves everywhere. 

To the stranger in the store, the coworker that feels ignored.

Our fingerprints can leave a mark, to help those who have lost heart. 

When our day is fraught with stress and strife, try to pull up the fingerprints that have made a mark on your life. 

Those little patterns that we both receive and leave everywhere certainly must contain little idioms and road maps that can help us navigate through everyday life. 

Stop and take a moment, pause, and reflect.  

Some fingerprints don’t necessarily need to remain, but we can take a small lesson from the brief frame.  

Those fingerprints, those patterns, will they fade with time?

Let us hope they make an indelible mark that will survive the test of time. 

Did you know that fingerprints are almost exclusively unique to the person with the print?  They are quite difficult to alter and endure over your whole life.  Your print is unique to you.  That is why when an investigation is undertaken by detectives they immediately search for fingerprints.  That print can lead to their perpetrator, their victim, or people who are present when the activity takes place.  Even when you burn your finger or have a cut this does not alter the ridge structure of the fingerprint (except in quite extreme cases).  That is pretty amazing.  Fingerprinting was a science that started in the 1800’s but really did not take off as a means of identification until the 1900’s.  Fingerprinting became widely used by Scotland Yard at that time.  There are 8 different types of fingerprinting patterns used by the FBI in investigation.  Suffice it to say, your fingerprint defines you and you alone.  In life, we leave our fingerprints all around us and adversely we also are the recipient of many fingerprints.  When you think about the circumstances of your life, do you dwell on those circumstances that left a bad print in your life?  Is that where you spend your time?  Or, do you process that bad fingerprint, solve the offense and file it away as solved?  We all do it, we think about a situation that caused us grief.  Some folks do so to their great detriment.  What if we make our peace, even if we did not understand the circumstance or how it came to be, mark that file as solved, file it away and dust off the prints from your life.  Also, what kind of prints are we leaving with others?  Our family?  Our friends? Our coworkers?  Even the stranger we encounter at the store.  We have often heard from people who are in the customer service sector talk about that “difficult customer” that just made their day a bit terrible?  Those were fingerprints.  Recently we had the occasion to fly on a relatively short flight, it was about an hour and a half.  The boarding process began, it is a bit hard not to feel like cattle in modern day flying, am I right?  As the plane was almost completely boarded my seatmate looked at me with a great look of relief!  The middle seat was empty!  We could spread out and enjoy ourselves as we sailed through the skies.  Suddenly a woman ran into the plane out of breath and of course, her seat was in the middle of our row.  To say that this woman was polite would be completely and utterly wrong.  She was demanding and rude because I did not get up fast enough, unbuckling and letting her into the seat.  After she sat down she fussed and carried on.  My quiet seat mate and myself immediately put on our headphones in hopes that we would not have to listen to her upsetting lamentations.  As the flight was underway it looked as if the mood was calming down.  The flight attendant came through with snacks and drinks, and the lady began to once again complain.  At first, both myself and my seatmate wanted to roll our eyes but we decided to listen.  Our quite upset seat mate was upset because she was a diabetic, she had not been able to eat her breakfast due to New York City traffic, she was scared she was going to miss her flight to see her son (who cares for her) and she just wanted something to eat.  While the in flight snacks are not the best, my seatmate and myself handed her our in flight snack.  That small act by the two of us caused this woman who was completely closed and over it all to bloom with a smile.  What is the moral of the story?  We never really know what is going on in someone’s life…. but that small fingerprint of kindness helped a random stranger make it through her day with a small sliver of hope.  Our fingerprints may not stay with others but they may stay with us to teach us how to start a movement of gratitude and compassion for others.  

Source:britannica.com

The Gift of a Cool Breeze

Capture the wind.... photo credit... my husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of a Cool Breeze

“The breeze of grace is always blowing; set your sail to catch that breeze.”

Ramakrishna

A gentle breeze that cools the day.

The trees gently sway. 

The breeze is refreshing, like a balm for the soul.

The wind and the leaves do a little waltz or even a quadrille. 

The picture of beauty and grace that nature reveals. 

Whether the wind be from the North, South, East, or West. 

The wind is necessary to keep the world working at its best.  

The wind carries ships from port to port with provisions of food and even port. 

The wind influences the weather and the pattern of the seas. 

Wind is quite important to both you and me. 

Which direction is the wind blowing in your life?

Is that direction gentle or a tempest filled with fright? 

Find the perfect wind direction and set your compass to navigate.

To dance in the wind and become better each and every day.

A cold front is coming through our little portion of the world.  The wind has been blowing, the leaves have been showering down in droves. Fall is making its first announcement that it is indeed coming. The wind is bringing in that change in the temperature.  If you are not familiar with this little section of the deep south, we are not used to cold temps coming quite this soon.  First cold bits are usually in late September.   Folks are scrambling to get the last bits of good blooms out of their summer flowers.  This morning as I watched the wind blow and the leaves fall a thought came to mind about the wind.  I decided to step outside and just let the wind blow all around me.  The refreshment that came from those gusts was wonderful. I planted my bare feet in the dewy grass and just looked up.  We need a little wind in our life to refresh us, to help us steer in a new and different direction.  Even that wind is needed to guide our sails along a route that we have firmly cast an anchor and have been unmoveable.  Did you know that wind is a virtually inexhaustible resource?  There is no end to harnessing its power to create electricity.  Our daughter attended the Naval Prep Academy in Newport, Rhode Island.   We had the occasion to visit a fair number of times for various military ceremonies.  There are wind turbines littered all over the area.  One wind turbine functioning at forty two percent capacity can power over nine hundred homes with electricity.  Power is harnessed simply by the wind blowing.  Pretty amazing, right? What winds do you have blowing in your life?  Where are you harnessing the power of the wind to help you in your life? It does not have to be strong winds that knock you over, it could be the subtle breeze that gently blows your hair with a gentle wisp.  My husband is in IT, he has been doing computing since he was gifted a computer at about age 10.  He has been given the name the “Puter man” for many, many years.  When our boys were small (about the same age as when he got his first computer) he put ten dollars in an envelope and said this money is for any boy that can write “hello world” in any programming language you can have that ten dollars.  Now, you would think that our kids would jump at the chance for ten whole dollars.  He asked our three youngest boys if they were interested.  At that moment, not one child was even remotely tempted to take dad up on his offer of cash money.  This money sat in our little safe in an envelope for probably two years untouched.  My husband kept reminding the boys that this money was still located and waiting for anyone to write the program.  Finally, one fateful day one of our twins wanted ten dollars to go and get his most favorite food.  He had spent what little money he had.  He came to his dad asking for money and of course dad said, “Well there is still “hello world” money sitting in the safe. In exasperation our son went to google how to write the “Hello world” program, after less than five minutes he runs in the room and announces that he has indeed written the program.  My husband looked at his programming, gave a nod and handed him the ten dollars.  The moral of the story?  My husband had given the single most easy programming task that you can be assigned.  It should take just about a minute.  Our other sons of course were verklempt that they had not taken the opportunity to earn an easy ten dollars.  The moral of the story?  That wind could be so gentle and even easy to bring you to a better place of understanding about life, the universe and everything.  Feel the wind.  Embrace the wind.  Let that wind change you in positive ways.  It won’t always be that gentle breeze but what if you are just letting that envelope sit untouched because you are scared to make that simple move, to gain that grain of knowledge?  Dear readers, feel the wind.  

Source:USGS.com

The Gift of Klezmer Music

Weave a musical composition into your life today.  It will make life better. 

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Klezmer Music

“Life is one grand sweet song, so start the music.”

Unknown

Klezmer music tells a unique story, a life history. 

The music weaves a story of music and melody. 

Some of the music is scripted and other portions are improvised.  

But when the tune comes together, it gives your ears a sweet and melodic prize. 

Take those bits of the past that give you great joy and weave them into the tune. 

Take the moments that taught you a lesson and add words and meaningful phrases. 

Take those moments that gave you great pain and let the music wash it all away. 

The rest of the piece you can just improvise, make the little trills and long notes that give your soul a great and worthy prize. 

Compose your life like a Klezmer piece.  Take the good, the bad, and the unknown. 

Write a tune that will give you and yours a harmonious symphony. 

When I was taking music theory in college, we had to study a variety of musical genres.  One such genre I had never had the pleasure of knowing about was Klezmer music.  My college experience was during the time when you had to sit in the music library and do your homework while in the library.  These precious pieces of music were not allowed to leave the library because the CD or record might get scratched.  The first genre of music that my class was assigned was Klezmer music.  As the headphones came to my ears I was transported into a beautiful weaving of tunes that went on for hours.  The clarinet played a beautiful and clear tone, the violin sounded uniquely Jewish and the Yiddish was like music to the ears.  There is also a tradition of a lot of dances that are added while these pieces are played.  There are more than 10 dances that can be danced while the music is playing.  If you have ever seen a Jewish wedding, Klezmer music is typically played.  There are also many non-dancing types of Klezmer music in this genre.  The word Klezmer means “tools or utensils of melody”.  During World War II the practice of Klezmer music all but disappeared.  In the 1970’s the practice was revived and is alive and well today.  If your life could be a Klezmer music composition what would your melody be?  Hopefully you can weave in the circumstances that taught you a much needed lesson, or the teachings of a loved family member that serves you very well to this day.  What about those painful experiences that made you a stronger person?  Most definitely bring those notes into your composition.  Also, take those bits of your life that bring you joy.  They could be your kids, your hobbies, your significant other, and even your pet.  After that portion of the melody just improvise.  Take all the pieces that compose the tune and just play a fun and fanciful tune.  If we let life dictate our tune or melody it might be a sad and lackluster sound that is not music to our ears.  Take all the bits and make them a dulcet tone.  Like the sounds that the violin and the cello make, it is like butter to the ear.  Several years ago I served as a pianist for one of the most positive persons I have ever met in my life.  He had very little knowledge of music, yet he sang like he was trained by the greatest master voice teacher.  After a little time working with him I learned that he had tragically lost his wife prematurely, he had even lost a child.  Yet he always had a smile on his face.  He even had remarried a woman who had custody of her grandchildren, he willingly stepped into this situation as a man who had a lot of years on him and decided to help raise these young children.  Each Sunday he would come to church, sing his slightly off tune tones to the hymns with a huge smile on his face.  Finally out of of curiosity I asked him, “Why are you always so happy when life has handed you so much sadness.”.  He looked at me with his lovely smile on his face and said, “Well honey, I could let all the sadness make me frown and mope around, and I do have days when I have grief for what I have lost.  I take those moments and weave it into my song of life.  I find something each day no matter how small and sing a tune of happiness even if that reason is very miniscule.”.  What an amazing attitude.  I ran into this precious soul recently at a restaurant and he still had that contagious smile on his face.  This brought to mind Mr. Wendell, a beautiful soul who willingly would admit he can’t sing but I will sing you a tune with a smile, had made Klezmer music out of his life.  Life is a great teacher if we are just open and willing to listen.  Weave some Klezmer into your life.  

Source:britannica.com

The Gift of Courage

We took this in Interlaken, Switzerland...  it reminds me of courage and faith that moves mountains. 

Positive Pensées

The Gift of Courage

Kathy King

“Courage is found in unlikely places.”

J. R. R. Tolkien

What is courage? 

What does it entail?

Is courage easy even if you might fail?

Courage is necessary to get up and try again.

Courage is knowing that you can face a new day.

Courage is strength in the face of danger.

Courage is the ability to do something that frightens you.

Courage sometimes takes a dash of temerity.

Throw in a teaspoon of pluck and a dash of valor.

Mix it all together and shake and stir;

You have some courage to face all of life’s curves. 

Show courage, give courage in the form of encouraging others.

The world needs a little courage in these interesting and divided days.

Find courage. Find a new way to be brave. 

Courage.  It is better (in my opinion) than hearing the phrase “my truth.” There is the truth and your feelings that surround the reality of truth.  Courage means that in the face of truth that you can make your way through to the other side while navigating the reality of a situation.  Whether that situation is in your work, your relationships, or anything pertaining to everyday life.  No one is promised everything that they want in life. Wouldn’t that be great?  Maybe, or maybe not.  If life was predictable, and in our bubble that would be boring, right?  Part of life is the dance, the navigation through varying circumstances, the journey of learning.  Life would be boring if we stopped learning, stopped moving, stopped dancing and just decided to stagnate.  When we stagnate what happens?  We stop moving and growing.  We lose enthusiasm for pretty much everything.  Even scrolling through social media apps mindlessly robs us of our courage.  We have a rule at home when we have dinner to foster courage and conversation.  We have what is called “Phone-henge” where we put our phones somewhat in the shape of the famous Stonehenge statues that are in the United Kingdom.  We purposefully stop using technology and use our minds to have genuine conversation about life, the universe and everything.  Even taking a break from technology requires courage if you really think about it.  We have those little computers in our hands a lot.  The need to be connected is addictive.  Some would argue that need also robs us of precious brain cells.  Technology is both a blessing and a curse. Who comes to mind when you think of courage? Yesterday, I read about a man named Sharvarsh Karapetyan.  He was a world champion swimmer who won many awards. One day he witnessed a bus plummet over a dam wall over eighty feet.  Without hesitation he dove into the water, broke the window of the bus with his feet, and rescued 20 drowning passengers.  He performed this courageous act in the dark as well.  After saving these ailing souls, he spent a long time in a coma recovering.  He was never able to compete again as a swimmer.  With no pomp and circumstance he did not yell to the rafters that he saved a lot of people.  He lost his athletic abilities.  You would think that this would plummet him into a deep depression.   It only came to light a few years later that he had even saved folks drowning.  He never stopped being courageous, because a few years later he rescued a lot of folks from a burning building.  His courageous spirit prevailed.  Do we have to be that courageous?  Probably not.  But what scares you?  What steps do you need to take to embrace your passion? It doesn’t have to be anything momentous.  Big or small, short or tall.  A small task, a big task or just even a few steps forward out of your comfort zone is a step towards being more courageous.  Confront the uncertainty, take the leap and be courageous.  I read a great quote yesterday that said: “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” Brene Brown.