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by Brian Tracy
Dare to Go
Forward
Winston Churchill once said, "Courage
is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues because
upon it, all others depend."
Courage
is the chief distinguishing characteristic of the true leader.
It is almost always visible in the leader’s
words and actions. It is absolutely indispensable to success,
happiness and the ability to motivate other people to be the
best they can be.
Follow Through on Your Vision
In a way, it is easy to develop a big
vision for yourself and for the person you want to be. It
is easy to commit yourself to living with complete integrity.
But it requires incredible courage to follow through on your
vision and on your commitments. You see, as soon as you set
a high goal or standard for yourself, you will run into all
kinds of difficulties and setbacks.
Refuse to Compromise
You will be surrounded by temptations
to compromise your values and your vision. You will feel an
almost irresistible urge to "get along by going along."
Your desire to earn the respect and cooperation of others
can easily lead to the abandonment of your principles, and
here is where courage comes
in.
Stick to Your Principles
Courage combined with integrity is the
foundation of character. The first form of courage is your
ability to stick to your principles, to stand for what you
believe in and to refuse to budge unless you feel right about
the alternative. Courage is also the ability to step out in
faith, to launch out into the unknown and then to face the
inevitable doubt and uncertainty that accompany every new
venture.
Avoid the Comfort Zone
Most people are seduced by the lure of
the comfort zone. This can be likened to going out of a warm
house on a cold, windy morning. The average person, when he
feels the storm swirling outside his comfort zone, rushes
back inside where it’s nice and warm.
But not the true leader.
The true leader has the courage to step
away from the familiar and comfortable and to face
the unknown with no guarantees of success. It is this ability
to "boldly go where no man has gone before" that
distinguishes you as a leader from the average person.
This is the example that you must set
if you are to rise above the average. It is this example that
inspires and motivates other people to rise above their previous
levels of accomplishment as well.
The Attack of Alexander
the Great
Alexander the Great, the king of Macedonia,
was one of the most superb leaders of all time. He became
king at the age of 19, when his father, Philip II, was assassinated.
In the next 11 years, he conquered much of the known world,
leading his armies against numerically superior forces.
Lead the Action
Yet, when he was at the height of his
power, the master of the known world, the greatest ruler in
history to that date, he would still draw his sword at the
beginning of a battle and lead his men forward into the conflict.
He insisted on leading by example.
Alexander felt that he could not ask his
men to risk their lives unless he was willing to demonstrate
by his actions that he had complete
confidence in the outcome. The sight of Alexander
charging forward so excited and motivated his soldiers that
no force on earth could stand before them.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately
to put these ideas into action:
First, set big goals for yourself and
force yourself out of the comfort zone by acting boldly
- even when there is no guarantee of success. Go boldly
where no one has ever gone before.
Second, resolve to act quickly and decisively when you are
confronted with a difficult or dangerous situation. Dare
to go forward. Practice audacity in all things.
Acting with courage builds your courage
and confidence higher and higher.
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