What are you built for?

Have you ever sailed or been on a ship?Do you remember the first time?  If you're from the Midwest, that's a big deal.  Small lakes are inviting and cooling on a hot day. The ocean?  A ship on the ocean?  A bit scary for some of us.

Courage is a JourneyWord designed to help us face our fears.  Courage is on display with Avenger movies and with mighty battles in Game of Thrones.

Courage for those of us who aren't super heroes is a bit simpler.  It is guided by both a "how-to" and a "why-to" strategy.

First, the how-to is simple:  showing up, being and doing your best.  That's all anyone can ask of you.  And that's enough, if you self-monitor and ask yourself if you've done what you can.  You know the difference, and so do those you work with, lead and serve.

Second, the why-to matters:  your authentic acts of courage inspire others to be and do their best.  We emulate what we see, what we hear.  Your actions teach others how to do it: how to step up, be your best, find a better way, be a better team member and leader.  It's your character, in action.  Every day.

Courage helps us create engaging conversations, deliver excellent customer service, solve problems fast, innovate for better solutions.  The opposite is staying put, doing what we've always done, because that's comfortable, even if it's not good enough, it's what we know and as human beings, we usually prefer what we know to what we don't know.

You will not always know where you're going.  And sometimes, the water is pretty scary.  But if you do your best, you will find your path to excellence.  And that will always be a path worth taking.

---