Practicing Courage #12: Creating the conditions that unlock courage

“How can we create conditions for other people to be courageous?”

This is a question I  have been exploring for years. On The Courageous Life Podcast, and beyond.

Part of the reason for such a deep interest in this question stems from the common and celebrated narrative (particularly in the US) of the lone hero.

That romanticized myth of pulling oneself up by their bootstraps and doing it all on their own.

While that might be an inspirational tale, it also puts a lot of pressure on an individual to be courageous, which is pressure that may not always be necessary. 

As you can imagine, exploring this question over the years has yielded many answers. 

A few include: 

• Let someone know you have their back
• Provide training, resources, tools, insights etc that may help them pursue what they care about most
• Create psychological (and other forms) of safety that foster healthy risk taking

One of my favorite answers to this question though, came from past Courageous Life Podcast guest, best-selling author, and teacher Parker Palmer

During our first conversation, Parker and I discussed finding the courage to embrace our whole selves and finding the courage to pursue our true vocation.

In today's practice:

• You'll hear a small snippet of what he had to say 
• And I will offer up a multi-step process for creating the conditions for others to be courageous that involves deep listening, open questions, and letting go of habits of fixing, advising, correcting, or solving.

Curious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:

• The Transformative Power of Humility | Dr. Dayl Van Tongeren
• The Courageous Journey Toward Wholeness | Parker Palmer
• The Importance of Having a Dream | Dr. Melvin L. Smith

Thanks for practicing with us! 

Til next Tuesday,
-Joshua