Courage: A Rare and Wondrous Virtue in Sport and Life

I recently re-read the international bestseller, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

It’s beautifully written and offers so much wisdom.

One of my favourite quotes is:

He had to choose between something he had become accustomed to and something he wanted to have.

This quote makes me think about the value of courage.

Courage is a declining virtue. And this decline contributes to the influence that fear exerts on all of us, whatever our performance domain.

Each decision we make involves choosing a future, unfamiliar path, or repeating a past, familiar path.

He had to choose between something he had become accustomed to and something he wanted to have.

Although choosing the future is most consistent with continuing to elaborate life’s meaning, it also brings anxiety. This anxiety is often expressed in fear of uncertainty and possible failure. So, to choose the future regularly requires courage. Without courage, we may choose the past regularly, which stagnates the quest for meaning.

Courage, rather than mental toughness, then is what’s required.

Subscribe here for more content in the newsletter