A couple of weeks ago was my birthday. Among the many congratulations I received was a message from an old friend. A line in it made me pause instantly and got me thinking.

She wrote, “With all my heart, much love and… a huge dose of courage for the new year of life…” – “a huge dose of courage”. I reflexively thought, “Courage for what?” I don’t feel like I have to be courageous about anything. But yes, there are things in my life that challenge me to not back out anymore. But it is not courage. I was surprised to find that the meaning of that word no longer seemed to matter to me. So what kept me going when I faced yet another obstacle to overcome? And there it was: The correct word is “determination”.

It was one of those moments of awareness when I saw clearly how my determination not to let my fears control me anymore led to a significant shift in my perspective on “fear.” Yes, I’m full of fear to jump out of a plane with a parachute. In that case, for example, I would need courage. But when it comes to life situations, I make decisions with determination, not with courage. I realized that I had overstepped that part. If I needed courage, I might still feel deep inside insecure about proceeding with my decision. But with determination, I am clear and focus only on the solution and the goal. As soon as determination replaced courage, fear was no longer the issue. Maybe that is another step in the process: fear, courage, determination!

Wow, that was such a moment of clarity, how far I have come just by continuing my way. And what time would be fitting better than a birthday! What about you? Have you ever had an experience where something inside you had changed in a lasting way, and you only realized it because you were suddenly presented with a direct comparison?

In Love and Light