I was looking at the pale, mottled skin of the man on the operating table and thinking, “he is going to die.” As I put on my surgical gown and gloves, I felt a pit in my stomach. My right thigh would not stop twitching, my chest felt tight, and my dinner did not seem to be agreeing with me anymore. I was scared. Afraid this man was going to die. Frightened that I was not a good enough surgeon to prevent that. Worried that some other, better, surgeon could save this man but that I would not. I desperately wanted to be anywhere but that operating room. I felt the fear, the panic, and the desire to bolt, and then I got to work and did it anyway because that is what I do.
That is an example of courage. It is not the absence of fear (I was plenty scared.) Courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Courage is the ability to control yourself, maintain your values and integrity, and persist while being afraid. It is knowing that although you may not be able to control the outcome of the event, you can control yourself and how you respond. Because fear is a feeling and not in your control, but bravery is an action that you can choose.
The virtue of Courage is composed of four Character Strengths;
• Bravery
• Persistence
• Integrity
• Vitality
The absence of fear is not courage, that is recklessness. Courage is also not allowing the fear to keep you from acting, that is cowardice. Being brave is about pursuing your values with energy and vigor and persisting in the face of fear until you achieve your goals. And that doesn’t just apply to the surgeon in the operating room. It applies to the person who takes a chance on getting up before a crowd to make a speech or an entrepreneur who is striking out on a new venture. It is any time you enter a situation where you can’t know the outcome, but you can take control of how you respond. Courage comes in many forms, but the heart of courage is the willingness to take vigorous action in pursuit of what is important to you, and persisting in the face of adversity.
