Photo and blog by Sharman Dow
Being courageous is having the firmness of mind and will to overcome difficulties or extreme danger. It’s having fortitude and resilience to achieve something to the finish. Courage is bravery in the face of great odds with a stubborn persistency and unwillingness to admit defeat. It’s having a quality of temperament enabling you to keep on keeping on when you are struggling.
Acts of courage in your business can have many faces, such as having the courage to stand up for integrity, taking responsibility and admitting your mistake, suggesting a new, creative way that challenges the culture, or being authentic in speaking out about what you really are thinking. Your business career will thrive as you display the ability to be courageous.
Have you ever been in a position or situation where you displayed acts of courage? In your business career there will be moments that take bravery and force you to be courageous. It happens to everyone, whether you are facing your manager, boss, clients or even a board of directors. Having the ability to stand upright in the face of dread and anxiety is essential to growing into the leader you desire to become. In addition, controlling your emotions in these anxious moments is crucial to your desired outcome.
A Queen of Courage
A powerful story of courage in the Bible is the story of Esther. Esther’s story is a narrative of how God intervenes, using a seemingly unimportant orphan to preserve the nation of Israel. She had a decision to make, and it took a great amount of courage to make the right choice. After winning a beauty contest that would determine who the next queen of the Persian King Ahasuerus (also known as King Xerxes) would be, she was put in a position of making a decision that could change the course of history for the Jewish people.
Esther’s fear was very real, as in their culture a person, even a queen, could not go before the king without being summoned. To do so would condemn a person to death. However, Esther put her fear of pleasing God to save her people over the fear of being put to death. In other words, she determined that doing the right thing in speaking up for her people was more important than her own desires. She mustered up the courage to go before the king and speak her mind, regardless of the consequences. In doing so, the nation of Israel was preserved and ultimately her enemies were destroyed. The outcome of her courageous decision brought more authority, privileges and honor to her and her people.
Such a Time as This
In addition, the words of Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, to her in response to her fears of approaching the king, have been echoed throughout the centuries: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows, whether you have become the queen for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:13-14)
Fortunately, in the business world today, making decisions will not be a life or death situation, but it may seem like it at times as we go through our days dealing with a tough boss, difficult client or a demanding board of directors. Either way, such a time as this is for you to empower yourself and be courageous when those times come!
Sharman Dow is the founder of the Empower Women’s Conference.
