Courage: It's closer than you think

Courage has never resonated with me. As a Water Rooster in Chinese Medicine, I’ve always come to realise that within myself, I am someone driven more by fear than by bravery. So when I was recently asked, “When was the last time you were courageous?” I froze. I genuinely couldn’t think of an answer.

It’s simply not a word I’ve ever connected with. Yes, I’ve had bold moments. Studying acupuncture was a huge leap of courage, especially as it was a career change filled with uncertainty. But because it feels so long ago, a part of me dismissed it, as though it no longer counted.



Yet the more I sat with the question, the more something important became clear:

I do show courage. Every single day. Every needle I place, every workout I attempt, and each time I choose discomfort over avoidance these are acts of courage.



Courage, I realised, isn’t reserved for grand gestures. It appears in the quiet, steady acts of daily life—often unnoticed, yet deeply powerful.



I see this reflected in my patients so often. Those living with chronic, debilitating pain are some of my greatest teachers. When every day feels heavy and uncertain, the easiest, and probably most understandable, option is to give up. When there’s no clear light at the end of the tunnel, who wouldn’t feel tempted to stop trying?



But they don’t.
They get up.
They come in.
They keep going.

That is courage in its purest form: choosing to move forward, again and again. It’s not a word I ever think about, and possibly one that you don’t think about, but we show courage every day. It slips our radar without us ever feeling that we do amazing things. 



And this is where courage becomes truly powerful.
That’s the heart of my message: Courage is the bridge from fear to confidence.



Fear says, “I can’t.”
Courage whispers, “Try anyway.”
Confidence says, “I did.”

Over time, these acts of courage can become transformative. They build a deep confidence in our resilience and our capacity to keep going, even when things are difficult.



You experience this, too. Every time you face something difficult, choose honesty, make a change, or try something new, you practise courage. Each of these moments adds a brick to your foundation of confidence.

So here’s a gentle reflection for the week:
Take a moment to look back on your day or your week and write down a few examples of where you showed courage. They don’t have to be dramatic. In fact, the small moments often matter most. And if there’s an area of life where you’d like to feel more confident, ask yourself: Where could I show just a little more courage first?



Confidence isn’t innate; we build it through each courageous act.