What first comes to mind when you think of courage?

Is it physical acts of bravery?

Maybe the courage Captain “Sully” Sullenberger showed in 2009. When he safely guided US Airways Flight 1549 to an emergency water landing in the Hudson River, saving all 155 people on board.

Or the moral courage to do the right thing?

Like when African American Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white person back in 1955 and became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation.

These are public displays of courage – remaining calm and taking effective action despite fear, risk, and uncertainty.

There Are More Private and Subtle Forms of Courage

It takes courage to learn and grow. To keep going despite personal limitations and difficult circumstances. To give your best and reach for your highest potential.

How about the courage it takes to be authentic and show vulnerability?

Or to simply try one more time.

I was only thirteen when I first started smoking. I thought it would help me “fit in” with the other kids.

Sigh.

The next thing I knew, I was powerfully addicted to cigarettes.

For 30 years.

I still find it hard to believe that happened, but here’s the good news:

On Mother’s Day weekend in May of 2002, I finally smoked my last cigarette despite countless failed attempts over the years.

One powerful element of my ability to quit was a clear understanding of why I was still using cigarettes after all that time. Smoking had become a misguided attempt to comfort myself and avoid dealing with certain feelings and emotional pain.

Over time, it was like cigarettes had turned into a good friend I could count on to accompany me through the ups and downs of life.

Perverse, right?

That’s what addictive substances can do to some of us.

Anyway, it was the courage to face the truth and try again, even after repeated “failures,” that led to my finally being able to quit for good.

This was a huge transformation for me back then, an absolute miracle. If I could change that particular destructive habit, I could do anything.

“Courage,” Higher Ground Leadership® expert Lance Secretan once wrote, “is the place where change begins.”

It’s daring to create something new in your life and trusting yourself to do the work every step of the way toward the desired result. It’s having faith that all the strength and energy you need will be made available to you.

So you can challenge the status quo, own your power, and boldly move forward in a new direction.

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

7 Ways to Feel More Courageous | Very Well Mind

Making New Friends in Midlife and Beyond

Research shows that friendship is strongly related to happiness, mental health, and longevity in the second half of life. These 12 techniques for connecting with friends can increase your comfort seeking out and taking initiative with potential friends.

12 Ways to Make Friends in Midlife and Beyond | Psychology Today

Women of the Sandwich Generation

Many of us are “sandwiched” between two generations — having children who aren’t fully independent in addition to aging parents who require our attention. Which leads to the inevitable stress of being pulled in multiple directions. 

One Woman's True Story | Elektra Health

What Women of All Ages Need to Know About Bone Health

People used to think that osteoporosis was an inevitable part of aging. Today we know a lot more about how to prevent, detect, and treat the disease.

You are never too young or old to take care of your bones. Good lifestyle habits can help you protect your bones and decrease your chance of getting osteoporosis.

What Women Need to Know | Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation

Famous Failures That Will Inspire You to Try One More Time

From Oprah to Einstein, our favorite famous people have seen their fair share of failures, mistakes, mishaps, and losses.

14 Ironic Failures of Wildly Successful People | The Healthy

Inspiring Book Recommendations

Beautifully made and inspiring gift books by a female-powered company. Their mission is to add missing female voices back into history and ensure today's thinkers and doers aren't overlooked going forward.

Beautifully Said: Quotes by Remarkable Women and Girls Designed to Make You Think | Amazon

Bravely: Inspiring Quotes & Stories from Trailblazing American Women | Amazon

Little Bits of Light

Words to open your heart and refresh your spirit