The ordinary courage within reach

Darren Lai, 11 February 2025

The ordinary courage within reach

A runaway train, a massive, unstoppable force of metal, hurtling through a crowded city. In the midst of this chaos, a lone figure emerges, a man clad in a red and blue suit, swinging from the towering skyscrapers that line the city streets. Peter Parker knows that he must stop the train before it reaches the end of the track and causes a catastrophic disaster. He attaches his web shooters to the side of the train, slowing its momentum and bringing it to a screeching halt. The train comes to a stop just inches from falling down. (a scene from Spider-Man 2)

We often see this kind of heroic and courageous scene from the big screens or books, like the one in Spider-Man, Saving Private Ryan, Harry Potter, Superman, Iron Man or others. Deep inside, we associate the act of courage to something grand and meaningful and self-sacrifice. If we do it for ourselves, then it is an act of selfishness. Courage is not limited to grand heroic moments but quite the contrary. Courage is a quiet force in our life, it is present in everyday life situations. We are using it so often until we don’t feel it is act of courage, like the moment you want to have a difficult conversation with your boss, a career change decision, personal losses and other situations.

Now take a pause and do this exercise before you continue reading. Reflect on your past, your present and the future and create a simple life timeline of yourself. Divide your life into 3 segments: the past, the present and the future.

List three times you’ve shown courage in the past, how you’re using it today, and how you plan to use it moving forward. My personal example is moving to Seattle for a job despite fear of leaving everything familiar. Present is losing my job and want to look for a new job and to move into coaching field, the future is I need courage accept myself.

The resource of courage is always available to us. We can always tap into our past experiences to remind ourselves of our strengths. This can help us to understand that we are stronger than we think. Courage is not reserved for extraordinary people but it is something each of us carries within. Challenges in life can make us feel small but we can overcome them by remembering our past courage. Fear may never fully disappear, but courage gives us the power to move forward.

In a moment of doubt or fear, we can remind ourselves that we can be braver than we know and have proven it before.