WE ALL WANT OUR CHILDREN TO THRIVE AND LIVE FULL LIVES. 

If you are here today, you care about raising Luminaries, whether big or small.So, what is one of the necessary components of successful leadership? What is that one necessary component to finding wholesome success where you are not just making money, but finding fulfillment, joy and impact? 

It’s courage and today we’re going to talk about how to help our kids develop that courage muscle. And guess what? It starts with us!

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

[01:52] Standing Up for What’s Right 

Is there anything that brings more joy to a parent than seeing your child fall in love with something? There are plenty of things that my kids love to do, but there was something different about the day we brought our son to his first baseball game. Once we got to the field, we could just see him come alive and it was such a gift to us as parents. At one point during the game, I heard some ruckus. I looked over and I saw these two 7-year olds pushing a 4-year old boy. Other kids are watching, some are laughing, some are just standing around. And then I hear this little voice say: “Hey, knock it off!” and I know that voice – it’s our Jack. We had so many discussions at home about having the courage to stand up for what’s right, but it was amazing to see it in action. 

[6:02] Courage is Uncomfortable

Courage is what we need to bridge the gap from where we are to where we want to be in all things; whether it’s an amazing marriage, putting yourself out there, raising incredible kids, pitching that offer, whatever it is. And it is super uncomfortable, it is never going to be something that we become accustomed to or that happens automatically. Moments that require courage are usually interpreted by our bodies as a threat. 

[7:32] Have We Embraced It Ourselves? 

When it comes to pursuing purpose, we know that we have to teach our kids to go into the “fires of life” in order to get to the other side. Courage is a requirement to do what has not yet been done, to stand out. And before our children embrace that, we need to ask ourselves: “Have we embraced it ourselves?” 

[8:39] Courage is Being Scared But Doing it Anyway

When we set a standard for our kids that courage is being scared but doing it anyway, they learn that fear is not a stop sign. It is not an indicator that we are on the wrong path, in fact it might mean that we are onto something. Of course, we need to teach them to differentiate between the fear that is coming from an actual threat and fear that is coming from not wanting to experience the discomfort. 

[10:14] Courage is a Part of Purpose

When we encourage our kids to get into (safe) discomforts regularly, to try new things and to let go of the pressure of being perfect, it fine-tunes those muscles that support the larger “courage muscle.” When we talk about raising Luminaries, we are not talking about raising nice kids, we are talking about bringing these children up to tap into their God-given potential. And they have to have courage to get there.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

Connect with me on Instagram and share with me what it is that you are doing to help develop that courage muscle for yourself and your little Luminaries!