These articles are part of the One in a Million platform — a space for real, soul-to-soul connection. They’re here to support the deeper conversations I have with people one-on-one. Through mentorship, friendship, and real-time companionship, I offer a place to talk, reflect, and walk beside you on your journey. Each article is meant to spark reflection, open dialogue, and gently support you as part of the larger experience at oneinamillion.me.
When we talk about courage, we often imagine grand acts — speaking on stage, facing danger, running into the fire. But the courage I want to explore here is far quieter, deeper, and more personal. It’s the kind of courage required to follow your inner voice when no one else understands, to walk your own path when the world says “don’t,” to keep choosing what feels true even when fear rattles your bones. This isn’t blind faith or reckless risk — it’s heart-led conviction. The kind that lives in your chest, not your head. The kind that says, “I don’t know how… but I know I must.”. Its the kind of courage that you step into when you no longer play the game of the world and choose to play your own game.
Today’s Challenge:
A Step Toward Your Inner Truth
Today, take a quiet moment to ask yourself: What am I afraid of — but know I need to move toward anyway?
Don’t force it. Just listen. Maybe it’s a conversation. A boundary. A step forward. A letting go. Locate the fear in your body — name it gently.
Then take one step in the direction of what you know to be true. Not because the fear is gone. But because your soul is louder.
Courage is not the absence of fear. It’s the decision to keep walking — truth in one hand, fear in the other.
Reach out and Talk.
Please Reach Out if You’d Enjoy Talking About Your Daily Experience.
I’ve played with these tools myself — I only write about things that have made a real difference to my own daily experience, perspective, and state of being. Everything I share comes from inner growth and lived insight, not textbook techniques. I’d love to hear about your daily life — what you’re navigating, what you struggle with, and what you hope to shift or grow. I’d be honored to walk alongside you on your path.
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.”
– Brené Brown
Following Your Truth against the Worlds Paradigms
The word “courage” comes from the French cœur — meaning ‘of the heart‘.
When we think of courage, we often picture high-stakes moments: stepping onto a stage, sitting an exam, competing in a race, speaking to a crowd. And yes — that takes courage. But this isn’t the kind I want to talk about today.
I want to talk about the quieter kind. The daily kind. The kind of courage that whispers through your body when your soul says yes and the world says no. The kind that stirs in your chest when you know what’s true for you… but you can’t prove it, explain it, or guarantee it’ll work.
This kind of courage isn’t glamorous. It doesn’t get applause. It often shows up when you’re standing alone, your mind panicking, and you have to say,
“Even though this doesn’t add up — I still know it’s the path I must walk.”
That’s real courage.
The word “courage” comes from the French cœur — meaning heart. Not ego. Not image. Not success. Heart.
True courage means living from the heart, even when your brain is screaming. It means staying aligned to your inner guidance — your soul’s voice — even when the outside world is pressing in with noise, opinions, fear, or expectations.
It’s easy to feel brave when you’re winning. But what about when you’re in debt, unsure how you’ll make rent, or when your whole life feels like it’s breaking apart — and yet something deep inside still says,
“Move forward. This is right.”
That’s the courage I’m talking about.
Not blind faith. Not spiritual bypassing. Not walking off cliffs saying “the universe will catch me.”
Elizabeth Gilbert draws a powerful distinction between being childlike and being childish. To be childlike is to remain open, playful, full of wonder—a state where inspiration can move through us freely. This is the space of creative courage, where we follow what she calls the “big magic,” or what Jesus referred to as “the kingdom of heaven within.” It is a deep inner listening, a soul-led pull toward something sacred and alive.
But to be childish is something else entirely. Childishness is impulsive, irresponsible—it ignores wisdom and refuses accountability. It’s the voice that says, “Quit your job now and chase your dream,” without a plan, a grounding, or a safety net. In these cases, fear is not an enemy—it’s a wise messenger. Fear here is functional, reminding us to pause, prepare, and proceed with awareness.
There is a sacred difference between soul-led risk and reckless abandon. One comes from deep alignment; the other from avoidance or egoic fantasy. Knowing the difference is part of our spiritual maturity.
Real courage means:
You’ve done the work.
You’ve thought it through.
You’ve trained, prepared, organized what you can.
And there’s still a gap… but you walk anyway, heart open, fear acknowledged.
I’ve faced this kind of courage again and again. Every time I’ve stepped out onto my true path, fear has been there. Shaking legs. Racing thoughts. No guarantees. But courage isn’t about being fearless. It’s about choosing to move with the fear — not despite it.
One of my favorite metaphors from Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic is the way she personifies fear—not as an enemy to be eliminated, but as a companion on the creative journey. She reminds us that fear exists for a reason: it keeps us alive. In fact, she says the only truly fearless people she’s ever met are toddlers and sociopaths—and neither should be behind the wheel.
Fear, then, is not to be banished, but to be acknowledged and contained. Gilbert likens the creative journey to a road trip. She tells fear, “You’re welcome to come along, you can sit in the back seat—but you don’t get to touch the steering wheel, mess with the map, or choose the music.” Fear can observe, even crack a few jokes—but it doesn’t get to drive.
It’s a playful but profound image: fear has a seat, but not the authority. Creativity and soul-led inspiration are in charge of the journey. And that’s the balance we’re all learning to hold.
I remember rock climbing, roped and trained, knees trembling. The setup was safe. The preparation was done. But fear still roared. I stepped over the edge anyway.
And that’s the metaphor: Fear doesn’t disappear. But courage says: “Thank you, fear, for warning me. I hear you. But I know what I must do.”
Sometimes fear is wise. Sometimes it’s telling you, “Not yet — something’s still not right.” And sometimes it’s just the old programming — the part of your mind that wants safety, approval, certainty.
You are the only one who can learn to tell the difference.
That’s what makes this kind of courage so sacred. It doesn’t come from outside validation. No one will confirm it for you. No one can say, “You’re right.” You have to walk with the uncertainty and still move.
Courage is saying yes to your soul — even when the world demands a no.
We hear stories of people who trusted their path, and somehow, things worked out. But what we forget is that when they chose, they didn’t know it would work. They were in the dark, with only a pulse of truth beating in their chest. And they followed it anyway.
That’s the kind of courage I want to live by. Not dramatic. Not reckless. Not blind.
But heart-led. Soul-rooted. Quietly fierce.
You won’t always know if you’re getting it right. And that’s the point.
Courage is not about knowing the ending. It’s about trusting an inner guidance even when we are unclear of the final picture and we accept that we don’t have to get it perfect or right all the time, we just have to keep going.
“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”
– Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
TEACHINGS & RESOURCES
Ancient and Contemporary Teachings:
Below is a list of ideas from various ancient and modern teachings that support the ideas above.
Science
In neuroscience, the Default Mode Network (DMN) is linked to internal awareness, self-reflection, and personal meaning. It lights up when we tune inward — and goes quiet when we’re focused on external approval or goal-driven behavior.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs places self-actualization — the fulfillment of inner truth — at the top. He found that truly healthy people break from societal norms when those norms violate their integrity or soul calling.
The brain is wired for both belonging and truth — but deep mental health arises only when truth wins over social compliance.
Sociology
Sociologists like Émile Durkheim and Max Weber identified how social structures influence identity. Conformity is enforced through norms, rewards, and punishments.
But thinkers like bell hooks, Michel Foucault, and Judith Butler explored how social systems suppress individuality, particularly for those outside the dominant class, race, gender, or belief.
Psychology
Carl Jung’s work on individuation is central: the process of becoming whole by integrating all parts of the self — not just the persona (the mask we wear for others), but the shadow, the inner child, the soul. This requires breaking from inherited beliefs, roles, and expectations.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) also teaches that within us live conflicting parts — some shaped by society’s demands, others holding buried truth. Healing comes when we center the Self, not the rules we were given.
Quantum Physics
Quantum theory teaches us that reality is shaped by the observer. What we choose to look at — and how we look — influences what unfolds.
In a metaphorical sense, when we choose to observe our soul’s truth rather than society’s gaze, we alter the trajectory of our lives. Possibility emerges where conformity once ruled.
Modern Day Living Examples
Greta Thunberg followed her deep truth in the face of global resistance, ageism, and ridicule.
Malala Yousafzai chose her voice over cultural suppression, risking her life for the right to learn.
Whistleblowers, artists, soul-led entrepreneurs — all walk this path. They are rarely validated at first. They are often doubted. And yet, history remembers them for their courage.
Contemporary Teachers
Brené Brown speaks of the “bravery of standing alone” in the wilderness of truth, and how vulnerability is the truest form of strength.
Clarissa Pinkola Estés teaches that women who run with wolves must leave the village to reclaim their instincts.
Michael Singer urges surrender to the soul, even if it means dismantling the ego’s structures.
Mooji reminds us that truth is not something we learn — it’s something we return to, often by shedding what the world gave us.
Ancient Philosophy
Socrates drank hemlock rather than betray his truth. He taught that “the unexamined life is not worth living.”
Diogenes rejected social status entirely, choosing radical authenticity over reputation.
The Stoics, like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, encouraged living according to inner logos — the rational soul — not public praise.
Ancient and Modern Spiritual Teachings
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna to follow his dharma (soul path) even when it means going against family, society, and fear.
Jesus in the Gospels repeatedly follows inner truth over religious law, saying: “The Kingdom is within you.”
The Buddha left royalty to seek the truth of suffering — and his teachings remind us that liberation comes not through rules, but through right alignment.
Indigenous Wisdom
Indigenous teachings often emphasize relationship over rules — listening to the land, to the ancestors, to the soul’s resonance with nature.
In many traditions, healing involves decolonizing the mind — stripping away imposed beliefs and returning to inner knowing.
The Lakota speak of walking the “Red Road” — the path of soul integrity, even when it’s narrow and steep.
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”
– Joseph Campbell
I’d Love to Hear From You
If anything in this article spoke to you, or sparked a thought, I’d love to hear about it. Whether you want to explore these ideas more deeply or simply share what’s going on in your life right now, you’re warmly invited to reach out. You don’t need to have it all figured out — I’m here to listen, reflect, and walk beside you in whatever part of the journey you’re in..
Below is a List of Resources – Read, Watch, Listen and Be Inspired!
Books
The War of Art – Steven Pressfield A fierce and honest guide to overcoming internal resistance and following your true creative path, no matter how irrational or unsupported it seems.
Braving the Wilderness – Brené Brown A powerful invitation to stand alone in truth, reclaim belonging from within, and face discomfort with grounded courage.
Women Who Run With the Wolves – Clarissa Pinkola Estés A mythopoetic guide to reclaiming the wild, instinctual truth inside, especially in the face of cultural domestication and pressure to conform.
Letting Go – David R. Hawkins Explores how courage sits at the threshold of transformation — the first real power state on the map of consciousness.
The Untethered Soul – Michael A. Singer A deep look at surrendering to the voice of the soul rather than reacting to fear, mind-chatter, or ego expectations.
You Tube Videos
Mooji – “Follow the Voice of Truth” A series of talks on listening to inner knowing, even when it contradicts worldly logic.
Brené Brown – RSA Shorts “The Power of Vulnerability” Visual summary of her core ideas around truth, courage, and the strength of standing alone.
School of Life – “Why You Should Ignore Most Advice” A gentle, clear explanation of why inner truth often diverges from conventional success paths.
Jiddu Krishnamurti – “Truth Is a Pathless Land” Vintage footage and teachings about independent thought and the danger of imitation.
Alan Watts – “What If Money Was No Object?” A poetic meditation on living a life that aligns with your soul, not society’s demands.
TED Talks
Brené Brown – “The Power of Vulnerability” How courage begins with authenticity and wholeheartedness — not perfection or performance.
Caroline McHugh – “The Art of Being Yourself” A luminous, powerful invitation to live in your full truth without apology.
Elizabeth Gilbert – “Your Elusive Creative Genius” Encourages deep trust in soul-guided creation — even without external validation.
Ric Elias – “3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed” A raw, brave reflection on what really matters when life collapses around you.
Luvvie Ajayi Jones – “Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable” A bold, joyful challenge to speak truth and stand tall, even when it’s risky.
Experts
Brené Brown – On vulnerability, truth, and courageous belonging.
Steven Pressfield – On resistance, fear, and walking the artist’s path.
Mooji – On silence, soul truth, and surrendering to what you know deep down.
Clarissa Pinkola Estés – On myth, feminine instinct, and soul reclamation.
Michael Singer – On letting go of control and trusting inner knowing.
Research
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Self-Actualization) Shows that peak wellbeing arises when people live from their true selves, beyond approval.
Carl Jung’s Theory of Individuation Psychological wholeness requires breaking from social personas to integrate deeper truths.
Brené Brown’s Research on Shame and Vulnerability Reveals how truth-telling requires immense courage — but leads to deeper connection and fulfillment.
Harvard’s Longest Study on Adult Development Found that those who lived in alignment with their own values and truth reported the highest levels of life satisfaction and health.
The Solomon Asch Conformity Experiments Highlight how intense social pressure can lead people to abandon what they know to be true — and how resisting that pressure takes courage.
One in a Million 