What's Courage?

Over the past weekend, while away on a flight, I met a few individuals who took great leaps of faith to be where they are in life. Matt, a Lonely Planet travel writer who was seated in front of my jump seat, relocated to the UK from Vancouver to pursue his dream job of documenting his adventures in Africa. Jean Luc, our pilot, who pursued his dreams of flying, despite his parent's lack of support.

It takes a lot of guts to remove oneself from their comfort zone, be it relocating or saying, "Screw you" to your parents who don't back up your efforts in life. For both these gentleman, they exhibited courage. Really, courage in the face of the unknown and adversity.

I was curious in what the definition of courage was for various individuals, so being the open person that I am, I took a poll. Here's what some people had to say:

"Courage means not letting your fear prevent you from doing what needs to be done"-Gilles (Pilot)

"Courage means facing challenges head on!-Kris (Olympic Gym Coach)

"Courage means to do things out of your comfort zone"-Gao (Flight Attendant)

"Courage is knowing yourself and being the authentic version of it everyday"-Trish (good friend :)

"Courage is the will to achieve despite fear"-Alaska (university student)

"To show courage is to show strength in the face of fear, pain or grief. It takes a quality of spirit to persevere through pain and difficulty. To be emergent, rise above and venture forth. Take risks and explore. This involves the belief that one can handle what comes their way."-Bev (district school counsellor)

Last but not least, my definition of courage. For all kids out there, please pay attention:

"Courage means standing up for your values despite knowing that they aren't popular with your friends."

Creativity is Stifled by Rules: What some kids really think about school.

In this qualitative research conducted by two university professors, they hear from a male teen who states what I think many educators should be very aware of: That there needs to be more of a mentality where teachers encourage kids to develop critical thinking skills, creativity and skills to approach and solve problems from various angles. 

Remember: The development of character education is just as important as academic education.

Coloring Between the Lines: Mindfulness Colouring Book.

Hi Everyone,

While overseas in the UK, I found this coloring book for adults (and kids too I think). It feels great being able to hold a pencil crayon in my hand, attentively filling each space with a variety of colors.

Please try it yourself and encourage any kids you have to do so too.