On Courage

There was once a girl I had liked. I thought that she had liked me too. I wanted to ask her out but never got around it. After our studies, she went to America to pursue her higher studies while I was at BHEL preparing for CAT. There, she found somebody and got into a relationship. Years later, she told me she had waited, and I should have asked her out. There are many reasons why I did not ask her out. But I think the core reason was that I was afraid. I was scared that she would say no. I lacked courage.

Courage is usually defined as something about valour, overcoming insurmountable odds, and facing death on the battlefield. But I believe there is a much simpler version of courage. Courage is doing something you believe is right, no matter the odds or consequences. It is living life in a way that your conscience is clear, and looking back, there are no regrets.

We face choices every day and have to make decisions. There is the easy way, the difficult way, and the right way. Always choose the way you feel is right. It requires courage to hold on to your ideals while the world and society ask you to do something different. It may require you to tread the difficult path, but your heart will be clear—I did whatever I could.

There is a trick to being courageous. Think about the absolute worst that can happen. Think about what you would do and how you would live your life if it happened. Visualise it. Now that you have thought about how things can go wrong and realised that you can still go on, it removes the fear of the unknown. Then, take the leap to do what is right. There is only upside because you have already imagined the downside.