Courage
Author: Sharif Khan

"Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway." –
John Wayne

"Courage is the cliché hallmark attributed to the hero. I say
cliché because people talk about courage as if it is some
mysterious force only a hero is born with. Courage is a vague
and fleeting concept for many people because they lack it
themselves. People lack courage because they lack knowledge.
They have no idea where the true source of courage comes from.
Even worse, they don't know it and continue to live in fear. As
Socrates pointed out, 'People not only don't know, but they
don't know that they don't know.'

This is why so many people on earth live in fear. Fear of
death. Fear of life. Fear of living their nightmares. And fear
of living their dreams. Most people are followers because they
lack self-confidence and live in constant fear. Anyone who is
brave and can show them how to overcome fear, they follow and
respect. But...anyone that reminds people of their own fear,
they attack and abuse viciously! This is human nature in its
lowest, animal form.

What is fear? Fear is the perception or misperception of the
unknown. Perception of how we negatively view reality, but not
reality itself. I once heard somewhere, a useful acronym for
FEAR: False Evidence that Appears Real. The 'false evidence'
being our own manufactured worries, doubts, and negative images
often of events that haven't even taken place yet. William
Shakespeare understood this principal well when he said, 'Our
doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might
win, by fearing to attempt.'

The cause of fear is lack of knowledge. Therefore, 'knowledge
is the antidote to fear' according to the great American hero
philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. That is why heroes are brave
souls. They immerse themselves with knowledge, plus knowledge,
plus knowledge. Heroes know that they don't know, but are
willing to learn. They are humble and learn from everyone
regardless of rank or status. Leaders know their potential.
Followers ignore their potential. Courage and self-confidence
comes from knowledge and self-knowledge...

This being said, no human hero is entirely fearless. Great
heroes are not born fearless and brave. Nelson Mandela had this
to say about courage: 'I learned that courage was not the
absence of fear, but the triumph over it...I felt fear myself
more times than I can remember, but I hid it behind a mask of
boldness. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but
he who conquers that fear.'" [Excerpted from, "Psychology of the
Hero Soul," by Sharif Khan, Chapter 16.]

Psychology of the Hero Soul is an inspirational book on
awakening the Hero within and rekindling people's passion for
greatness. It is based on author, Sharif Khan's ten years
research to the field of human development and was recently
mentioned in USA Today. The Hero Soul is availble to order in
most major bookstores including Borders, Barnes and Noble,
Chapters, Indigo, and Coles bookstores. To order online visit:
http://www.herosoul.com

Psychology of the Hero Soul, by Sharif Khan, ISBN 0973192208,
Diamond Mind Enterprises, 160 pages, $14.95 US,
trade-paperback, Self-help/Inspirational, distributed by
Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and University of Toronto Press.

For more information on special quantity discounts call (416)
417-1259 or email: inspire@herosoul.com


About The Author: Sharif Khan (http://www.herosoul.com;
sharif@herosoul.com) is a copywriter and communications
specialist, inspirational keynote speaker, and author of the
leadership bestseller, "Psychology of the Hero Soul." He
publishes his monthly Hero Soul ezine for cutting-edge advice
on personal growth.