Why Courage and Comfort Don't Mix
September 13 2018
“You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both.”
(Thank you, Brene Brown.)
I sure do appreciate my comforts in life, and I have many. I prefer soft t-shirts and baggy jeans and UGG boots year round. I need my diet coke cold and bubbly (small bottles are better than cans). I love cool sheets on warm nights and warm sheets on cool nights. And those are just my physical comforts.
It’s really not difficult to choose comfort in our part of the world. In fact, we don’t even need to choose it; our lives have become so insulated by comfort, that we hardly even realize most of us are drowning in it. So much so, do we even see that we have a choice? We have the choice to step out of that perfectly-set jacuzzi that is always warm and always inviting . . . and onto a stark polar ice cap. At least that’s what it may feel like to some of us who have not been very courageous lately.
So how would I define courage? Taking Brene Brown’s quote, I would contend a part of courage is stepping away from whatever comforts you depend on and toward something that is UN-comfortable.
Courage could look like this: sitting beside a loved one who is sick in the hospital; starting a business that you believe in; writing your story then sharing it with others; reaching out to make a friend with someone who needs one; stepping out of that “crazy busy” mindset into one of solitude and rest . . . the list goes on.
The thing with courage (as well as comforts) is that they are as individual as each person is. What may be a highly courageous act for one person may not be for another.
Which really makes courage such a beautiful thing. It is as unique as we are.
Have you been living in the land of comforts lately? Do you set up your days, prioritizing your comforts? It may be time to take off your UGG boots and step out into some courage.
Be courageous!
Be bold!
I will happily join you, as long as you don't mind my boots (they sort of qualify as my emotional support pets).
Amy, these are perfect, inspiring, scary words. Words I needed to hear. Today. I almost quit one job that needs to be out of my life, and I didn’t do it. I did a Scarlet O’Hara. “I’ll think about it tomorrow” and buried my head under a blanket. I guess it’s more of an ostrich metaphor…? Either way, this post was one more piece of encouragement to be brave and get out from underneath the comfort. Thank you for thinking and writing about this. You are making a difference all across the Inter-webs!
yes, amy, it is so good to reflect on the relationship between courage and discomfort. comfort, when needed, is restorative — even heavenly. but comfort all the time is … dare i say it? … boring and even a little annoying, isn’t it? when i get to feeling too comfortable, i seek out discomfort — but not always in a way that leads to courageous acts. for that i need the kind of discomfort i rarely seek out voluntarily. however, one variety you mention i did encounter last week: sharing a story. i wrote and submitted a nonfiction piece to CRICKET. i mention it because i’m much more proud of how i handled the process than i am of the outcome: for me, that is a comforting feeling that i only receive when i have committed small or large acts of courage! … peace, r.
Good morning Amy!
I stumbled upon this this morning and it was exactly what I needed…
Love you my friend!!💕
Hi Ami – another jewel flowed through your pen my friend! Thank you! A great one to come home to. I love the new look of your Creative Farm Girl site too! ❤️