A Better Way to Encourage Self
Because internal-courage will always take you further than you ever dreamed possible.
There are many things people are afraid of.
While some of those fears are rightfully justified, the vast majority of them are baseless.
Some people shrivel at the site of benign cockroaches. Some uncommon others, like Julia (The Aussie Snake Sheila fame) cuddle up with snakes that terrify other mortals.
I have an old edition of National Geographic that featured a West African tribe from Cameroun. These people glory in hunting and capturing huge pythons from their nests. Python meat serves as a part of their menu. Also, python-hunting is part of their men’s feisty rites of passage to adulthood and a veritable source of cash.
Our fears come in various forms and for various reasons.
It took me a long while to visit a dentist to get treatment for a nagging tooth. Morose and dejected, I only saw the dentist when the toothache became unbearable. At the clinic, my fears of many years turned out to be baseless. They all crumbled (almost) painlessly at the dentist’s operating table. If only I had kept the appointment much earlier.
For too long, I refused to confront my fear of having the dentist poke and probe my teeth. As a result, I magnified a manageable condition to unbearable status.
That is what failure to confront our fears often does to us. Our fears often magnify our problems out of proportion.
“Encourage” is external and often out-of-reach
Fears, real or imaginary, often come to checkmate us in our life’s pursuits.
People are born to have trouble. And that’s just as sure as sparks fly up.
~ Holy Bible: Job 5:7
But what happens when external courage is not forthcoming?
Troubles and challenges are always waiting to happen. Sooner than later, you will face one or the other. That is why we all need encouragement from within or without as a catalyst to propel us through any impasse.
How do you step forward when there is no guarantee you won’t stumble or repeat your past failures?
When external encouragement is not forthcoming, the best form of courage stems from inside you.
“Incourage”: That form of courage that rises up and out from within you.
Yes, you read me right — incourage. When external validations or motivation are not forthcoming, get hold of the courage from inside of you.
Your incourage could be your best and only guarantee for progress and success in life.
So, grab “incourage”, and go further in life
Encourage yourself in the Lord
In the Holy Bible we read,
David was greatly troubled. His men were even talking about killing him by throwing stones at him. All of them were very bitter because their sons and daughters had been taken away. But David was made strong by the LORD his God. (1 Samuel 30 verse 6)
In that Bible story, General David returned from the battlefront to be greeted with bad news at home. He wept and wept until he had no more strength to weep.
There you have it, even soldiers and their Generals also weep.
But, despite David’s immense loss, he sought time to pray and seek after God for help. This Bible story concluded with, “David recovered all.”
During times of distress, danger, or disaster, always make out time to seek God’s help through prayers.
Do something despite your fears
Courage does not mean the absence of something to fear. Neither does it imply that all your concerns and apprehensions are now over.
Courage is not the same as responding in foolhardy ways to dangerous or life-threatening situations.
Far from being a sign of weakness, fear is a natural inbuilt defense mechanism. Courage is embracing your fears and still taking action despite those fears.
Modulate and train your mind to embrace your phobias and fears in smart ways. By so doing, you become desensitized to unwholesome fears and build internal strength.
Reflect on your past (not-so-small) victories
Every one of your past victories has been preparing you for this moment.
So long as you don’t give up too soon, many of your intimidating challenges are not unconquerable.
Recounting past victories should act as a boost to your confidence. Reflecting on your past wins will force you to stretch and push yourself out of your comfort zone.
“I did it before. I will do it again.”
Right now, your present efforts may not have any sign of guaranteed success. But you will never know the heights to which you will ascend until you break out of your comfort zone.
Start living in the moment
Mindfulness or living in the moment means you don’t bring forward the problems of tomorrow. They will hinder you from facing the challenges you have to deal with today.
Mindfulness is being present in the moment.
With mindfulness, you become conscious of your thoughts and feelings. You also become aware of the interplay between you, others, and your environment.
As a Christian, faith, prayer, and meditation on scriptures are integral parts of mindfulness.
Your courage strengthens others
When you confront challenges despite your fears, you build the needed incourage to overcome them.
Remember, your family, subordinates, and the community depend on you. Your courage will give them hope as well. So, don’t deprive them of the strength you stand the chance to impart to them through your incourage.
Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.
~Winston S. Churchill
Final Words
If “… learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all” (Whitney Houston), the greatest form of courage may well be the one that rises from within you — incourage.
Start building your “incourage” by;
Encouraging yourself in the Lord.
Facing your fears and doing something despite those fears.
Reflecting on your past (not-so-small) victories.
Living in the moment and prayerful meditation.
Never forget that your courage gives hope to others.
Life is full of vagaries. Therefore, you must arm yourself with incourage.
Incourage, makes you part of the upper percentile of the enviable few who react to any difficulty that may arise with immediate action rather than depression, resignation or docility.
Won’t you rather go with more doses of incourage?
Thank you for reading. This story was originally published on Medium.