Courage -- it may seem like a quality reserved for Purple Heart recipients or firefighters, but in reality, every day of living - with a positive attitude, showing up for ourselves and making a positive contribution to the world - is an act of courage. 

Courage is a practice, and a habit - we gain it by doing, by living courageously, and finding ways to challenge the unknown in our lives as much as possible.

As the writer Brene Brown puts it: “It’s like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn by...courage-ing.”

Here are some simple things you can do to start “courage-ing” and pushing the boundaries your mind has set for you

• Start small
  Working through to larger acts of courage starts by building our muscle - for instance, how we form and articulate our opinions. Practice committing to your feelings about small, trivial things - say, your favorite place to get a cup of coffee - and stick with it in translation to someone else - staying pleasant and polite, but firm.
   
• Focus on the solution: positivity
  Many of us suffer from a negativity bias - we latch onto changing things that are broken instead of concentrating on what is already working. Instead, try keying into the positive -  a sense of safety and self-confidence - this will make for a stronger jumping off point to act against our fears and with courage. 
   
• Focus on the greater good
  If you’re standing up for someone else - say a co-worker who is wrongly accused of making a mistake - make your act of courage less about you and more about the other people who are positively affected by your action. This creates a deeper sense of purpose and strength, and makes us less worried about results when taking contrary actions.
   
• Stick with the winners
  Whether its surrounding yourself with likeminded and courageous people - or taking after strong and wise role-models who you want to emulate - we are what we practice. Create power in numbers, seek out mentors and role models - and create a larger container of support to take courageous actions with. 

In the end, you don’t have to slay dragons or be a corporate whistleblower to have courage - give a few simple acts a shot today, test your growth edge, be willing to walk through a touch of fear - and profound things can happen.

After all, you’re probably more courageous already than you even realize. Keep it up - and have a beautiful day.