A new direction with my site has been brewing for the past few weeks. A new me. Part of me wanted to align the content from my memoir and yet, I’m also wearing all these other hats: radio show host, book marketer for writers and entrepreneurs.
So I had a strategy call with my writing coach, editor and publisher. We both agreed that my website, as it stands now, needs a rehaul. Naturally, we looked to my memoir’s themes to see how to extend the platform.
The answer stared at me in the face: courage. courage has played over and over in my life’s theme.
Courage to leave New York City to serve in the IDF. Courage to leave family in Israel and start again in an unknown place. (Those are drastic acts of courage). Courage to write a memoir. Courage to start a business. Courage to start a Pubslush campaign. Courage to have a second child.
So I started to rebrand my messaging and content.
In a nutshell, why is having courage so important?
It allows you to break free from fear. When fear doesn’t run your life, you are unstoppable. Fear seems to be the number one cause that stops people from pursuing their dreams and desires. Or stepping into a larger version of themselves.
We need to talk about it more – what it feels and looks like with actionable steps. We often think we need super-hero powers to move mountains, but the truth is, that we can…
1. Start small. People often associate courage with big outcomes: get a new job, move to a new place, start a new relationship. The truth is that courage is best cultivated when you can start small. Having the courage to dream. Having the courage to write your desires down in a journal. Having the courage to visualize your life. Recently, I rediscovered the courage to dream up my life. I’ll be sharing that experience here very soon.
2. Share from your heart. Having the courage to share with our family and friends our life vision or desires is an important part of claiming who you are. Hear yourself state what you may have considered impossible helps you break free from the “what-ifs” and “you can’t do this.”
You may have thought that your partner doesn’t support your vision. Sharing from your deep desires can help. Recently I had a money conversation around the obstacles with my husband and to my surprise, he completely supported my desire of hire a publicist for my memoir Accidental Soldier.
3. Believe. Courage supported by faith. Once you reach the level of belief, nothing can stand in your way! Faith is the spiritual compass that nurtures courage. In my memoir Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces, (She Writes Press, 2016) my character takes courageous steps to leave my mother and New York City, but all too often I feel vulnerable and exposed. To compensate I develop “mantras” that come from my higher-up or what I call my “Jedi” voice to help me deal with my perceived fears and doubts. When I gave birth to my second daughter, I had to really had to step into that Jedi voice all over again in order to deliver her as a VBAC. That Jedi voice was no less the force of belief.
4. Listen. Our bodies and souls know deeply what they need. I love this quote (left) because it’s true. Courage doesn’t roar, but it’s that quiet yet steady voice that wants and needs more. Maybe you’re in great need of a change but don’t know where to start? Listen to your voice. Ask what it wants. What’s missing from your life? Meditation and journaling are great intuitive tools to give voice to those subconscious messages.
5. Read. I’m a great fan of connecting to everyday people who are doing great things in the world. Their individual circumstances give me greater understanding of their own “science.” How do they overcome certain obstacles? The voice of courage is strongest when in story form because you can really connect with that person’s motivations.
Cheryl Strayed’s iconic story of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in Wild tells of how emotional circumstances brought her to connect with her soul. As she debated whether to hike the PCT, she connected with the voice of reason, but emotions had the final say. She wanted to step into her true self. To redefine herself again. She wanted to step into something bigger and larger than herself. She activated courage to get there.
6. Visualize. This is becoming a powerful exercise for me but I need to do it regularly to generate a habit. When you see yourself doing something as if you’ve accomplished it already, you are activating courage to move forward with your desires. A vision board would be a great way to cement this desire.
7. Repeat steps #1-6. Courage is a mindful ongoing practice. It’s like training for a marathon. But each time it gets easier. Because it’s such an internal and individual thing, we have to nurture it properly. That takes time and energy and focus.
Need more help?
If you’ve found these steps helpful, have a look at my free e-course, Blog your Book and Build Your Platform with Courage.” Simply opt-in at the upper right hand side of this blog’s home page and your first lesson will be on its way to your inbox.
I hope you’re happy with this new direction. Change is always good.
Absolutely! Thanks, Nick!
This is something that I will remember!
Awesome – I’m glad to hear that Michelle!
Excellent post! I actually have followed most of these steps when I started freelancing, and again when I started my “Encouragement” blog. Instead of changing the tone and message of the blog, I ignored the naysayers and have continued to write what I want to in that blog. I figure if people don’t want to read it, they don’t have to. Plenty of other blogs to read and follow!
Thanks, Karen for your kind words. I’m glad to hear that you’ve been following these steps. It’s actually not that hard, right?
Hi Dorit,
You are tenacious and, indeed, courageous. I admired you taking on the Pubslush Campaign. I had been dithering for weeks on starting a Kickstarter Campaign (similar to what you did) and last week, I found someone to help me videotape me explaining why I needed funding for my audio book. We took all morning but the footage was not very good. I am not comfortable in front of a camera. So this week I am to put the written information together and with that in place, we’ll try again. I am working on my 2nd book, trying to figure out how to continue to publicize my first book, and get my audio book completed. It’s a lot of work and yes, takes courage. I would love to be featured on your show new radio show, but first, I have to get a special phone that shows text so I can answer the question properly. I have hearing loss. 🙂 That’s another piece of the marketing puzzle I need to put in place. Gotta write that down.
BTW. not sure why but I don’t seem to be receiving your responses to comments I’ve written in the past.
Thanks,
Amy
Amy, I have to approve the comments first so you can see them online and I believe there is a box you can check if you want to see my responses to yours. Are you clicking it? Plunging into a Plubslush campaign like I did is more about sticking with it in my humble opinion. It’s a lot of work and the responses can be intimidating and negative. Just giving you a head’s up. 🙂
Starting small is critical to avoid being overwhelmed and I find visualization is key to me succeeding in many endeavors thus increasing my confidence level.
That’s a good point – thanks, Shonda!
Ah, yes. Courage is so important in helping you achieve your goal. That must have been a wonderful surprise when your husband agreed that you should hire an editor. Maybe I should try that. mmmm.
Yes, courage is definitely a mindset!