A Selection of Quotes from FACE IT!

  • “A selection of the men and women I interviewed had learned to overcome this psychological paralysis even in very challenging circumstances. Conquering their StuckThinking™, they discovered a crucial source of self-actuated motivation—courage! Unfortunately, most people mistakenly equate courage with perilous situations requiring feats of heroic bravery. This view fails to recognize the everyday courage required to explore new ideas, create innovative businesses, break from consensus, transcend rejection, keep the faith or take the initiative.”
  • “To understand fully the importance of courage in overcoming workplace barriers, we must first understand the true meaning of the word. Courage comes from the Old French word corage, meaning “heart and spirit,” which tells us that courage is really about the center of your being—who you are at the most fundamental level. In other words, living courageously is not so much about what you are doing as who you are being! Only by delving beneath our shallow thought patterns and melodramas can any of us discover our true identity, thereby nurturing our courage and empowering ourselves to integrate courage into our work lives.”
  • “The first step toward courageous living is to declare your courageous intention—i.e., your conviction to “give up self-blame and self-pity and affirm the power within [you],” the power of everyday courage.”
  • “Ironically, in order to step up in our careers, we must first delve deeper into our true Self to find a solid foundation that supports living a courageous life.”
  • “Our fast-paced culture encourages us to identify ourselves with what we do. Doing generally involves a list of things to accomplish—earning another certification, landing a new account, securing another promotion—and the sooner the better. Unfortunately, doing can become a career trap with the tools of the modern office serving as a high-tech hamster wheel. By contrast, being comes from a peaceful inner space that reveals our deepest, most genuine identity, ‘the depths of our being, where we come face to face with ourselves, our weaknesses, and with ultimate mystery.’”[1]
  • “Courage is a joyful essence that supports your true Self, thereby empowering you to embrace new dilemmas, overcome reluctance and rise above ambivalence. In other words, the course of your work life is up to you, even during times of uncertainty. As you begin to embrace the truths revealed by courage consciousness, remember: overcoming obstacles requires intention.”
  • “History affords us the opportunity to study the lives of those who passed before us and underscore the courageous steps that enabled them to overcome huge impediments. But the real source of power lies in the noble and courageous voice of the ordinary, everyday person like you and me! Our culture may not celebrate the courage that guides you through the obstacles of daily life, but realize that you make a difference. Look around and you will observe a courageous person—the person who confronted a bully on behalf of a peer or the person who spoke up for the truth.”
  • From COURAGE The Heart and Spirit of Every Woman, “We seek mirrors of what we determine to be the essence of our personal life stories, such as ‘I am unworthy of success.’ We live and die in the mirrors we create for ourselves on our journey.”

[1] Teasdale, Wayne, The Mystic Heart, Novato, CA, New World Library, 1999, 2001, 18.