Sometimes when people are looking for inspiration, they walk over to their book shelves, pick a book, open it to a random page, then, without looking, let an outstretched finger drop somewhere on the page. They say they are often surprised at how perfectly the sentences they find that way fit their question or situation.
When I’m looking for inspiration, I sometimes use a high-tech variation of that method. I open the quotes folder on my computer, shut my eyes, swirl my mouse and open whatever topic it lands on. This week, it parked on “Daring.” It was exactly what I wanted, something a little bit, oh, invigorating.
I opened the file, and read the first quote on the page:
“Valor grows by daring, fear by holding back.” ~Publilius Syrus
“Valor!” I said out loud. The word surprised me. It was a word I rarely use, but one that sparked an instant impulse to stand taller, to ready myself for whatever might come my way. I decided to look up ‘valor’ in the thesaurus and I found a whole parade of stalwart words:
Boldness. . . Courage. . . Derring-Do. . . Determination. . .
Don’t they make you feel bigger somehow? A little more adventurous and brave? And there were more!
Fearlessness. . . Firmness. . . Fortitude. . . Gallantry . . .
Grit. . . Heroism. . . Prowess. . . Tenacity
Yeah. Bring it on.
I went back to read the quote again. Be daring, he said. Holding back only grows your fear.
We have a lot of fear in our lives these days, a lot of anxiety and worry. His words are wise. Daring gets us into action. Taking action puts us back in control.
I read more of the quotes on the page:
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.” ~Helen Keller
Ah, Helen Keller. This quote from her has long been one of my favorites. If ever there was a courageous woman, it was she.
“Think about how audacious it is to really believe in yourself.” ~ Debbie Ford
“A single feat of daring can alter the whole conception of what is possible.” ~Graham Greene
“Daring greatly means the courage to be vulnerable. It means to show up and be seen. To ask for what you need. To talk about how you’re feeling. To have the hard conversations.” ~Brene Brown
This was good stuff. It was giving me exactly the inspiration that I needed. Let me share some of my take-aways:
Dare to have
. . . the courage to speak your truth;
. . . the courage to say Yes;
. . . the courage to say No.
Dare to love your life.
Dare to begin.
Dare actually to like that someone.
Dare to be kind.
Dare to do it better.
Dare to cry.
Dare to laugh.
Dare to reach out.
Dare to offer help.
Dare to ask for it.
Dare to swim against the tide.
Let me give you a few last quotes.
“Success is loving life and daring to live it.” ~Maya Angelou
“It’s daring to be curious about the unknown, to dream big dreams, to live outside prescribed boxes, to take risks, and above all, daring to investigate the way we live until we discover the deepest treasured purpose of why we are here.” ~Luci Swindoll
“Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends.” ~Aberjhani
“Rise up, start fresh, see the bright opportunity in each new day.” ~Anonymous
Dare to love your life, my friend.
Dare to expect the day to bring gifts.
Dare to keep going.
From my heart,
Susan
PS You can find all these quotes and more at: Wise Old Sayings, a fabulous site for us quote-ophiles. https://www.wiseoldsayings.com/daring-quotes/#ixzz6YJwdh0Pg