Courage is the ability to fight fear and do something despite being afraid of it. It has had a huge impact in my life in many ways. As a child, I was always afraid that I would mess up or forget something. I thought that perfectionism was essential to being courageous, But as Robert A. Heinlein said “A man who is fearless cannot be courageous”. This taught me that courage is about pushing through fear, not being without it . One experience where courage has affected me was when I doubted my abilities to play Basketball with the older kids. I felt inferior because they were taller and more experienced than me. However, that all changed when I discovered my talent for defense during practice, and my coach eventually recognized it too. He gave me the job of guarding the best player on the opposing teams, and I excelled at it, Helping my team achieve an undefeated season and first place. At the end of the season my coach acknowledged me for being the best defensive player on the team, affirming the impact of courage on my journey. This experience taught me that courage starts by showing up and letting yourself be seen, as Brene Brown once said. I faced my fears, and made a significant impact on my team’s success.
