Entrepreneurship
Redefining What it Means to be Courageous
When you hear the word courage, you might be tempted to believe that it’s all about throwing yourself into daunting situations without thinking twice. It’s also common to think that people who have made significant achievements are fearless.
But with celebrities such as Robin Williams and Anthony Bourdain succumbing to mental health challenges, we might need to revisit the meaning of being courageous. In fact, the National Health Interview Survey indicates that 9% of the men surveyed experienced daily symptoms of depression or anxiety. Sadly, only one in three sought treatment for these conditions, and only one in four spoke to a medical professional. These are some of the worrying revelations signaling a need to redefine what it means to be courageous, particularly as the concept pertains to men.
For Certified High-Performance Coach and the mastermind behind the Siena Strategy Partners, which constitutes the base for her coaching efforts, Kate McKay, the answer isn’t about how we behave in moments of crisis but rather in how we live our lives on a daily basis. “Being courageous means valuing your inner world and respecting your ideas enough to communicate them effectively. It means seeing intimacy, romance, and emotional connection as worthy of your time and effort,” McKay says. “There are ways for men to come out of their holes and become as confident as they want to be. All they have to do is look inside themselves to find the answers.”
Identifying Our Fears
It’s a well-known fact that pinpointing our fears can help us overcome them. When you look at the things that worry you, you start thinking more logically. This, in turn, helps you take action and break the cycle of fear. According to McKay, most of us have three main fears in life. The first one is the fear of change and that whatever is waiting ahead of us is just too hard to overcome. The second is the fear of the outcome of our actions and that the effort we put into something won’t be worth it. Finally, the fear of loss. “I think the last one is the most significant one,” McKay elaborates. “We fear that if we take action, we’re going to lose someone or something that’s important to us. Because we’re going to grow beyond that thing or person.”
To put things in perspective, McKay advises bringing to mind a change that you have been reluctant to make or a goal you have failed to chase. She then advises examining the precise reasons why you have been stalling. Is it the fear of loss? The fear of hardship? Or the fear that the outcome of your actions might not be as satisfying as you expect?
Life is a Journey
Traditionally, society has viewed people who accepted the challenge and made it to the finish line as courageous, completely overlooking their journey. However, if we look closer, the culture of fixating on goals and neglecting the hurdles in the journey to those results contributes considerably to today’s mental health issues. Often, those who don’t hit their goals feel like failures, not understanding that challenges are just a part of the path to success. And sometimes, those who excel have put themselves through sleepless nights, poor eating patterns, substance abuse, and many other unhealthy habits.
So how do we gain the courage to overcome these obstacles? The answer lies in going inward and paying attention — rather than overlooking — the journey. In particular, McKay believes that it takes fortitude to express our feelings, thoughts, and needs to the world. She also believes that learning how to communicate more consistently builds the kind of confidence that breeds success. Not being honest with others, on the other hand, diminishes courage.
The Power of Action
Once you’re aware of your fears and how they manifest in your life, you can respond to these challenges with action. Since facing obstacles head-on builds confidence, your actions are likely to break the cycle of fear in your life. This is because people that take action, rather than shy away from life’s obstacles, tend to develop a better sense of who they are. This, in turn, usually makes them more resilient and ready to deal with life’s little or big surprises. “A good start is identifying a few areas in your life that require more decisive action,” McKay says. “Then it’s a matter of committing to taking a few leaps forward in those particular areas.”
Unleashing Your Inner Warrior
Embracing courage — or unleashing your inner warrior — can be a game changer. Not only can it equip you with a different perspective on the world, but it can also help you empower others. “A warrior is a person who shows great vigor, courage, determination, inner strength, and heroism when confronted with challenges. Someone that uses adversity to implement necessary changes and manifest the best version of themselves,” McKay says.
McKay is adamant that hiding from fear is futile. Rather, we need to examine it and move through it. “Nothing is worse than regret. It’s not an option because staying the same is unacceptable. Everybody has their inner hottie and everyone wants to claim it. I won’t say it’s easy, but it’s possible,” McKay narrates. “This is where the right coach can help you clarify your vision and take action. This is what’s going to lead you from fear to courage.”
To empower others, McKay has written a book entitled, “Claim Your Inner Warrior: How to Live a Life of Courage and Unleash Your Personal Power.” The follow-up to her best selling
“Claim Your Inner Badass” aims to help men overcome fear through introspection and action.
Let’s face it; if you’ve cultivated any kind of success in the business world, it’s not because you’re doing the bare minimum. On the contrary, chances are you’re already a go-getter, a leader, and an innovator, or else you wouldn’t be where you are. And being a successful entrepreneur requires a drive and passion that comes from the deepest depths of your soul. However, along with success comes a lot of hard work and burnout, which can knock you off your game both physically and mentally. That’s why spending time nurturing your mind and body is super important.
The Relationship Between Self-Care and Entrepreneurship
Whether you are aware of the relationship between self-care and entrepreneurship or not, there is an undeniable connection between the two. When asked about the relationship between self-care and entrepreneurs, Bobbi Vargas had this to say:
As an entrepreneur, you often spend long hours working in pursuit of your business vision, which can take an emotional and physical toll. Without taking careful measures to practice self-care and maintain good health, stress can overwhelm you and disrupt your focus. Effective self-care can help entrepreneurs make decisions more clearly, reduce their risk of burnout, ease their stress levels, boost their energy and productivity, and ensure they remain motivated to keep them in a state of flow. When entrepreneurs prioritize self-care, they can gain clarity and insight into their goals and make progress toward achieving success.
Bobbi would know, as she’s been teaching entrepreneurs the secrets of success for years. According to her, health and wellness play a central role in every entrepreneur’s story. It takes an incredible amount of energy to be extraordinary, which means your body needs to be up for the task.
Bobbi began her own journey as a make-up artist for stars like Christina Aguilera and Jay Leno until she was recruited first by Versace, then by the houses of Christian Dior, Valentino, and Dolce and Gabbana before ending up in the House of Chanel as the lead sales trainer. Bobbi would go on to help lead multiple companies to financial success. Today, she continues to consult and speak on leadership, sales, and entrepreneurship, along with growing her wellness brand, Bodela.
Much of Bobbi’s success can be attributed to a good attitude and knowing when it’s time for a bit of R&R. But do you?
If you are experiencing any of these burnout symptoms, you may need to rev up your self-care game:
- Lack of creativity
- Fatigue
- Reduced productivity
- Anxiety
- Difficulty concentrating
- Headaches
- Change in appetite or weight
- Negative attitudes to coworkers or family
- Difficulty sleeping
Everyone gets burned out at one point or another. If you’re a hard-working entrepreneur with signs of burnout, you can do a few things. First, become attuned with your body and learn to heed the warning signs. What’s your body telling you? Are you yawning? Then you’re tired and should get some sleep. Is your brain sluggish? Take a walk and recharge your batteries. A spa day, massage, or facial may even be in order.
You also want to ensure you’re getting adequate amounts of sleep. Sleep is crucial for bodily functions like focus and memory. Not to mention, lack of sleep makes you age faster too. Without enough sleep, you’ll always feel like you’re burning the candle at both ends.
In all you do, remember how important it is to pivot back to yourself from time to time so that when you need to, you can be on top of your game and ready to handle whatever life throws at you.
We would all like our world to become a better place for everyone. However, it’s easier said than done. Hence, the need of the hour is to develop practical ways that can genuinely contribute to impacting societies’ most vulnerable. Durell Coleman, Founder and CEO of DC Design, offers three practical ways to do so.
Engage With Those Who Empathize
It’s a rather pitiful state of affairs when the general sense of social change is associated with sympathy. It seems to be the right response to suffering. We pity, sympathize, and move on, having contended ourselves with paying our due through an emotional currency. However, sympathizers don’t make an effective social impact; empathizers do.
As a social impact design firm, DC Design’s cross-disciplinary team is able to make a real social impact, having first been affected by its harsh realities themselves. Coleman, for instance, watched his older brother pass away fighting a rare form of cancer while the world outside went on unchanged. His experience drives his work; he says, “my yardstick for measuring social change is simple – who are the people dealing with some of the biggest health and wellbeing challenges? Are we making life easier for them? Are we creating things that are improving outcomes for them? That’s part of how I measure it or how I focus on it and our work. We think about the people who are not being served.”
Develop Well-Directed Solutions
There are plenty of good-hearted organizations in the world. It may sound oxymoronic, but that doesn’t make it untrue. Durell has worked with organizations that he considers “incredible change-makers.” For him, all that a well-meaning organization needs and often lacks is “good direction,” whether it’s deciding “where to go next” and/or “how to cater their services and programs to best meet the needs of those they serve.”
Coleman understands the complexity of social issues and how they divide people’s opinions and turn the approach into a labyrinth of disjointed ideas. DC Design’s Human-Centered Design process, also known as Design Thinking, helps clients develop a coherent framework that incorporates different perspectives and skill sets to reach a well-rounded solution.
Move With The Times
We’re living in the age of technology. Golden for some, and not quite so for others. Yet, it’s one of the best chances we’ve had in centuries to make the world a better place for everyone in it. In short, technology can pave the way for social change.
When human concern and technology come together, we get wheelchair ramps in hospitals, better helplines, and apps that allow those in need to get the help they need in time. Through his DC Design University, Coleman and team have created a flagship program called Design the Future, “where we teach high school kids how to design apps and products for people with disabilities,” he says. “They’ve solved problems that people have been living with for 20 years. These are 15-year-olds and 16-year-olds doing this in a week or two weeks, and they do it repeatedly.”
Social change can be brought about with innovative thinking in a direction that will bring collective benefit to the community. If you’re working on a systemic social change initiative or just want personal guidance on how you can change the world, reach out to DC Design for help.
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