Courage From Confidence

By A.M. Young

“Courage from Confidence”. That’s my motto. I got it several years ago when I started running. There was a company that printed shoe tags with your name and your emergency contact information on it, in case you were injured during a run and couldn’t talk to the paramedics. In addition to that information, there were inspirational quotes to choose from. “Courage from Confidence,” was mine.

Confidence is a funny thing. If you have it, you can rule the world. If you don’t, you wish the world would stop spinning so you can get off. It’s also not an easy thing to acquire. If you are like me, you believe old habits die hard and you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I had some pretty bad habits, I’m old, and i’ve never had much confidence.

That’s where the courage comes in.

Running a 10k race isn’t as simple as putting on your shoes, and taking off. It’s a process of pushing yourself through the pain which takes courage. One kilometre at a time, one hill at a time, and that’s what I did. I joined a group, met new people and conquered my goal. Having the courage to take the first step, gave me the confidence and encouragement that I could complete the race.

 In most cases a re-programming of attitude and outlook are needed to turn the corner and change your feelings about yourself. The key for me was taking the first step (literally) and joining something new with people at different levels. There was encouragement and positive energy and with each little success, came more confidence.

I now have a new motto. Sink or swim you gotta give it a whirl!