“Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.”
—Amelia Earhart
Courage: The Heart and Spirit of Every Woman/Reclaiming the Forgotten Virtue teaches women how to tap into their own reservoirs of courage in order to live more fully. Women often deny their own courageous spirit, believing that only men can be courageous. A woman without courage may surrender her convictions, avoid risk, fear the future, and abandon her dreams. A woman with courage explores the unknown, creates change, confronts abuse, embraces faith, and chooses her own path. COURAGE demonstrates how EveryWoman can lead an animated and enriched life by reclaiming this forgotten virtue.
A groundbreaking book in the realm of women’s courage, COURAGE is based on the detailed research, observation, and personal experience of Sandra Ford Walston, a nationally known and respected businesswoman and educator.
Rooted in the real stories of contemporary women, whose courage has transformed their lives, the book offers a blueprint for growth by identifying and providing the inspiration to embrace courageous attitudes and actions. In its pages women will discover the power to do such things as speak up in a group, pursue their interests, free themselves from an unhappy relationship, and conquer fear of failure.
While other books in the marketplace simply provide inspirational role models this book helps the reader design her own action plan. Readers will find answers to questions such as:
- What is courage and where does it come from?
- Why does courage elude many women?
- How does misunderstanding the real meaning prevent women from ignoring their reservoirs of courage
- How has a deeper understanding of courage allowed some women to live a better life mentally, physically, and spiritually?
- How can women measure their growth in courage?
- What happens when women choose not to tap into their reservoirs of courage?
From defining courage and its origins (the word stems from the medieval Old-French “corage,” meaning heart and spirit) to integrating courage into daily life, this book helps women identify the incredible role courage can play in their lives. An unlimited three-step process shows women how to draw from their forgotten, yet unlimited, reservoirs of courage (Chapter Six). The process helps women to understand the essence of their heart and spirit and shows them how to reclaim that essence. The book also encourages women to teach others how to find their own courage and to “pass the torch” to their daughters.
In researching the book, Sandra Walston surveyed more than 750 women to determine their view of courage. Of these, she interviewed 71 women who met specific criteria. She also conducted a post-behavioral study to yield further insights into how women benefited from using the three-step process.
Based on Ms Walston’s research, the book presents:
- a code of behavior for integrating courage into life,
- tips for accumulating courage,
- benefits of choosing courage as a way of living,
- consequences of not choosing courage,
- a way to measure an individual’s growth in courage,
- resource materials to support the integration of courage into daily life.
Ms. Walston also writes from her own experiences showing how courage propelled her beyond grinding circumstances into empowerment and growth (Introduction). Her personal process revealed to her the vital importance of the way one responds to life experiences. This insight inspired her to create a transformational training seminar and to provide courage coaching for women. The author is deeply committed to the belief that women need to engender courage in today’s society and to promote the joyful self-discovery the process brings about. COURAGE The Heart and Spirit of Every Woman reveals what it takes for women to reclaim their forgotten birthright and live more fully from their hearts and spirits.