Let's do this!

 

Today, 01 July marks the beginning of the second half of the year 2021. What a tumultuous first half of the year that many of us have experienced. In some cases, the traces of pain are still existing.

We have witnessed, or heard of, families that have lost their loved ones in a matter of hours or within days and weeks. In some cases, a whole family is lost, especially due to COVID.

As a COVID survivor, and having lost my mother to COVID, each story that I have encountered has made me re-live my own experience of fear, pain, horror, and loss. I sympathize and empathize.

But for some reason, I have also come to realize that one can still find courage and hope amidst all the bad things that may be happening around one’s life.

Living in South Africa makes me appreciate more and more about Mandela’s stance on courage and fear. One day he said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

“But what has Mandela’s life got to do with your life, or my life?”, one may ask?

Well in my experience as a Coach, I keep realizing that the difference between success and failure, is the action or the lack of thereof.

It could boil down to the notion of courage that empowers one to overcome fear.

The online oxford learner’s dictionary defines courage as: the ability to do something dangerous or face pain or opposition without showing fear.

So when Mandela expressed his experience on courage, could it be that he had understood that one has to stand up against cruel injustice without showing fear, or take action in some way to end an oppressive government?

It is easy to ponder about Mandela, as he is out there. He is a global figure and a hero. Sometimes he is described as a saint.

But what about you? What fear are you facing now that is paralyzing you from doing what you need to do – for your life? What steps do you need to take – without showing fear?

Mandela said, “Courage is not the absence of fear…” So he acknowledges that fear will always be there.

He advises:… that you have to conquer that fear… to step out and do what you have always wanted to do: write that book; start that business; lose that weight; marry that beautiful person; drive that dream car; live in that house you dream of day in, day out and so on. 

What still amazes me is that Mandela made the statement referring to the experience of physical imprisonment he had undergone.

But for most of us, the fear we face could simply be perceived fear that imprisons us.

“What will they say about me?” you tell yourself. “Won’t they say that I am an imposter?”, you continue in this negative spiral of self-doubt conversation, effectively imprisoning yourself.

As a Coach when I work with clients, we embark on a journey of learning and discovery. We identify the fears that may be holding you back.

As a Coach, I become your partner, in helping you to work towards conquering that fear.

This is what coaching is really about, giving you the right tools and power to gain the courage to overcome. In that way, you can zoom in towards your goals courageously, in a way that would also make Mandela proud.

In 2009 the United Nations General Assembly declared 18 July as the Nelson Mandela International Day. On their website, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, affirms that “Mandela Day is an annual international day of humanitarian action in celebration of Mr. Mandela’s life and legacy. It catalyzes every person to realize that they have the ability to change the world through action”

And as Mahatma Gandhi would say, “change starts with self”.

Perhaps at the beginning of the next half of 2021, we can, as individuals commit to taking action, the right action towards the betterment of oneself to achieve one’s goals and positively impact the lives of those near and dear to us. Let’s do this!

#AwakenYourBetterSelf