The Courage to Live Consciously by Steve Pavlina (5)

Catch a Glimpse of Your Own Greatness

Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.
- Erica Jong

The highest courage is to dare to appear to be what one is.
- John Lancaster Spalding

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

So what do you do with your newly developed courage? Where will it lead you? The answer is that it will permit you to lead a far more fulfilling and meaningful life. You will truly begin living as a daring human being instead of a timid mouse. You will uncover and develop your greatest talents. You will begin living far more consciously and deliberately than you ever have before. Instead of reacting to events, you will proactively manufacture your own events.

Courage is something you can only truly experience alone. It is a private victory, not a public one. Summoning the courage to listen to your innermost desires is not a group activity and does not result from building a consensus with others. Kahlil Gibran writes in The Prophet, "The vision of one man lends not its wings to another man." The purpose of your existence is yours alone to discover. No one on earth has lived through the exact same experiences you have, and no one thinks the exact same thoughts you do.

On the one hand, this is a lonely realization. Whether you live alone or enjoy the deepest intimacy with a loving partner, deep down you must still face the reality that your life is yours alone to live. You can choose to temporarily yield control of your life to others, whether it be to a company, a spouse, or simply to the pressures of daily living, but you can never give away your personal responsibility for the results. Whether you assume direct and conscious control over your life or merely react to events as they happen to you, you and you alone must bear the consequences.

If you commit to following the path of courage, you will ultimately be forced to confront what is perhaps the greatest fear of all - that you are far more powerful and capable than you initially realized, that your ultimate potential is far greater than anything you've experienced in your past, and that with this power comes tremendous responsibility. You may not be able to solve all the woes of this planet, but if you ever do commit yourself 100% to the fulfillment of your true potential, you can significantly impact the lives of many people, and that impact will ripple through the future for generations to come.

What is the difference between you and one of those legendary historical figures who did have such an impact? You both had many of the same fears. You both were born with talents in some areas and weaknesses in others. The only thing stopping you is fear, and the only thing that will get you past it is courage. What you do with your life isn't up to your parents, your boss, or your spouse. It's up to you and you alone.

Catching a glimpse of your own greatness can be one of the most unsettling experiences imaginable. And even more disturbing is the awareness of the tremendous challenges that await you if you accept it. Living consciously is not an easy path, but it is a uniquely human experience, and it requires making the committed decision to permanently let go of that mouse within you. Going after your greatest and most ambitious dreams and experiencing failure and disappointment, running butt up against your most humbling human limitations instead of living with a comfortable padding of potential - these fears are common to us all.

The first few times you encounter such fears, you may quickly retreat back to the illusory security of life as a mouse. But if you keep exercising your courage, you will eventually mature to the point where you can openly accept the challenges and responsibilities of life as a fully conscious human being. Continuing to live as a mouse will simply hold no more interest for you. You will acknowledge within the deepest recesses of your being, I have awakened to this incredible potential within me, and I accept what that will require of me. Whatever it costs me, whatever I must sacrifice to follow this path, bring it on. I'm ready. Even though you will still experience fear, you will recognize it for the illusion it is, and you will know how to use your human courage to face it down, such that fear will no longer have the power to stop you.

To be continued...

Steve Pavlina is the creator of StevePavlina.com and writes and speaks on personal development topics. This article is Copyright 2004 by Steve Pavlina. To send feedback or request reprint permission, please contact Steve.

The Courage to Live Consciously by Steve Pavlina (5)

Catch a Glimpse [glImps] (взгляд) of Your Own Greatness ['greItnIs] (величие)

Everyone has talent ['txlqnt] . What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.
- Erica Jong

The highest courage is to dare to appear to be what one is.
- John Lancaster Spalding

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt [tempt] (убеждают) you to believe your critics ['krItIks] are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires [rI'kwaIqz] (требует) some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

So what do you do with your newly ['njHlI] (недавно) developed courage? Where will it lead you? The answer is that it will permit you to lead a far more fulfilling and meaningful ['mJnINful] (наполненную смыслом) life. You will truly ['trHlI] (по-настоящему) begin living as a daring human being (человек) instead of a timid ['tImId] (робкая) mouse. You will uncover [An'kAvq] (откроете) and develop your greatest ['greItIst] (величайшие) talents ['txlqnts]. You will begin living far more consciously ['kPnSqsli] (сознательно) and deliberately [dI'lIbqrItlI] (обдуманно) than you ever have before. Instead of reacting [rI'xktIN] (реагировать) to events, you will proactively [prqu'xktIvli] (проактивно) manufacture ["mxnju'fxkCq] ((будете) создавать) your own events.

Courage is something you can only truly ['trHlI] (по-настоящему) experience alone. It is a private victory, not a public one. Summoning ['sAmqnIN] (собраться с) the courage to listen to your innermost ['Inqmqust] (потаенные) desires is not a group activity and does not result from building a consensus [kqn'sensqs] with others. Kahlil Gibran writes in The Prophet ['prPfIt] (Пророк) , "The vision ['vIZqn] (мечта) of one man lends not its wings to another man." The purpose of your existence is yours [jLz] (ваша) alone to discover. No one on earth has lived through the exact same experiences you have, and no one thinks the exact same thoughts you do.

On the one hand, this is a lonely realization ["rIqlaI'zeISqn] (осознание). Whether you live alone or enjoy the deepest (глубочайшую) intimacy ['IntImqsI] (близость, связь) with a loving partner, deep down you must still face the reality [rJ'xlItI] (реальность) that your life is yours [jLz] (ваша) alone to live. You can choose to temporarily ['temp(q)rqrIli] (временно) yield [jJld] (уступить) control of your life to others, whether it be to a company, a spouse [spauz] (супруг(а)) , or simply ['sImplI] (просто) to the pressures of daily ['deIlI] (ежедневная) living, but you can never give away your personal responsibility [rIs"pPnsq'bIlItI] (ответственность) for the results. Whether you assume [q'sjHm ] (берете на себя) direct and conscious control over your life or merely ['mIqlI] (только) react [rI'xkt] (реагируете) to events as they happen to you, you and you alone must bear the consequences ['kPnsIkwqnsIz] (последствия).

If you commit [kq'mIt] (обязуетесь) to following the path of courage, you will ultimately ['AltImItlI] (в конечном итоге) be forced to confront [kqn'frAnt] (смотреть в лицо) what is perhaps the greatest ['greItIst] (велицайшему) fear of all - that you are far more powerful and capable ['keIpqbl] (способны) than you initially [I'nISqlI] (поначалу) realized, that your ultimate ['AltImIt] (максимальнй) potential [pqu'tenSql] (потенциал) is far greater ['greItq] (больше) than anything you've experienced in your past, and that with this power comes tremendous [trI'mendqs] (огромная) responsibility [rIs"pPnsq'bIlItI] (ответственность). You may not be able to solve [sPlv] (разрешить) all the woes [wquz] (беды) of this planet ['plxnIt] , but if you ever do commit [kq'mIt] (обязуете) yourself 100% to the fulfillment [ful'fIlmqnt] (реализовать) of your true potential [pqu'tenSql] (потенциал) , you can significantly [sIg'nIfIkqntli] (значительно) impact ['Impxkt] (оказать влияние на) the lives of many people, and that impact ['Impxkt] (влияние) will ripple ['rIpl] (пройдет волной) through the future for generations ["Genq'reIS(q)nz] (поколения) to come.

What is the difference between you and one of those legendary ['leGqndqrI] (легендарными) historical [hIs'tPrIkql] (историческими) figures who did have such an impact ['Impxkt] (влияние)? You both had many of the same fears. You both were born with talents ['txlqnts] in some areas and weaknesses ['wJknIsIz] (слабостями) in others. The only thing stopping you is fear, and the only thing that will get you past it is courage. What you do with your life isn't up to (решать не) your parents, your boss, or your spouse [spauz] (супруг(а)). It's up to you (решать вам) and you alone.

Catching a glimpse [glImps] (взгляд) of your own greatness ['greItnIs] (величия) can be one of the most unsettling [An'setlIN] (бередящих душу, выводящих из равновесия) experiences imaginable [I'mxGInqbl] (какие только можно себе представить). And even more disturbing [dIs'tE:bIN] (беспокоящим) is the awareness [q'weqnIs] (осознание) of the tremendous [trI'mendqs] (огромных) challenges ['CxlInGIz] (трудностей) that await [q'weIt ] (ожидают) you if you accept it. Living consciously ['kPnSqsli] (сознательно) is not an easy path, but it is a uniquely [jH'nJkli] (присущее только) human experience, and it requires [rI'kwaIqz] (требует) making the committed [kq'mItId] (твердое) decision to permanently ['pE:mqnqntlI] (навсегда) let go of that mouse within you. Going after your greatest ['greItIst] (величайшие) and most ambitious [xm'bISqs ] (амбициозные) dreams and experiencing failure and disappointment, running butt [bAt] up () against your most humbling ['hAmblIN] (унизительные) human limitations ["lImI'teIS(q)nz] (ограничения) instead of living with a comfortable padding ['pxdIN] (набивка) of potential [pqu'tenSql] - these fears are common to us all.

The first few times you encounter [In'kauntq] (встретите) such fears, you may quickly ['kwIklI] (быстро) retreat [rI'trJt] (отступите) back to the illusory [I'lHsqrI] (иллюзорной) security [sI'kjuqrItI] (безопасности) of life as a mouse. But if you keep exercising your courage, you will eventually [I'venCqlI] (в конечном итоге) mature [mq'tjuq] (созреете) to the point where you can openly ['qupnlI] (открыто) accept the challenges ['CxlInGIz] (вызовы) and responsibilities [rI"spPnsI'bIlItiz] (ответственности) of life as a fully ['fulI] (полностью) conscious human being (человек). Continuing to live as a mouse will simply ['sImplI] (просто) hold no more interest for you. You will acknowledge [qk'nPlIG ] (признаете) within the deepest recesses [rI'sesIz] (уголках) of your being (существа, души), I have awakened [q'weIkqnd] (осознал) to this incredible [In'kredqbl] (невероятный) potential [pqu'tenSql] within me, and I accept what that will require [rI'kwaIq] (потребует) of me. Whatever it costs me, whatever I must sacrifice ['sxkrIfaIs] (пожертвовать) to follow this path, bring it on. I'm ready. Even though you will still experience fear, you will recognize it for the illusion [I'lHZqn] (иллюзия) it is, and you will know how to use your human courage to face it down, such that fear will no longer ['lPNgq] (больше не) have the power to stop you.

To be continued...

Steve Pavlina is the creator of StevePavlina.com and writes and speaks on personal development topics. This article is Copyright 2004 by Steve Pavlina. To send feedback or request reprint permission, please contact Steve.

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