Courage is not the lack of fear, it is deciding to do something despite fear or uncertainty.

When you become brave enough to start living, you come alive!

How many years have passed without your same dreams and wishes being fulfilled year after year? How many times have you told yourself that you were going to quit a bad habit or start new good habits? When you procrastinate for tomorrow, you are dead for today.

People may want to wait for ideal conditions before moving on to the life of their dreams. The excuses for not doing the things that will produce the person you want to become are innumerable, but the end result of doing nothing can be summed up in one word: nothing. When you don’t do the things that will make your life better or help you become a better person, you get stuck where you are, similar to a person in a coffin but still breathing.

Wishing, daydreaming, or just talking about a better life doesn’t work. You may be saying, “This information is too obvious and elementary for my level of thinking. I have known these things since I was a child. Why would you want to share them in your popular newsletter?” The answer is simple: “It doesn’t matter if you know something, it is much more important whether or not you are applying what you know.”

Many brilliant people, who have gained a great deal of knowledge on a variety of subjects, do not apply what they know. So many people have shared their dreams and goals with me saying, “Someday I want to …” Well, we both know that day will probably never come. In fact, people who go somewhere in life rarely share their dreams and goals with others. Successful people are so busy creating the life of their dreams that they are too busy to talk about it.

We are fast approaching the close of 2006. How did this year compare to your intentions and resolutions in January? Did you earn more money? Did you lose that weight? Did you improve or change your relationship to be more in line with what you want? Did you really improve that much and make significant progress toward the life of your dreams?

Well, if you didn’t progress, don’t be discouraged because most of the people in the world are on your team. Only two percent of the population of any industrialized nation seriously works toward goals; apply action steps; and live with enough structure to make significant improvements towards what they want. In other words, most people physically walk, speak, and breathe, but are mentally and spiritually dead.

The sad part of anyone’s life is that you can really create whatever you want, but you have to be brave enough to do it. If you look at successful people in any field, you will find that they are generally not the smartest; the most educated; or most of anything else that isn’t brave enough to face the life, the decisions, and the actions that will produce the results you want.

The good news is that courage is not something that is developed or acquired, it is a decision that a person makes regardless of limiting circumstances.

What if you did what you know needs to be done, whether you want it to or not, and if you think you can do it? The answer is: “You would be successful.” I am not going to say that it would be easy and that I would not face failure or difficulties, but I am saying that success will eventually come to anyone who is brave enough to make a decision, act, and continue in the face of limitations.

We can get an important lesson from the full-length movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” Remember what the Wizard of Oz said to each of the characters, “… you had it all the time …” The same goes for your potential and the things you want. My favorite character was always the cowardly lion because he reminded me of many kind-hearted (tin man) and healthy-minded (scarecrow) people. Although many people have good intentions and the intelligence to dream about what they want, they lack the courage (lion) to create it. The big news is: “You had courage all the time.”

Courage is not something you learn or buy, it is a decision you make that what you have ahead, you will continue to move towards what you want. Regardless of any apparent limitations or the odds against you, stay focused, take action, and move forward into the life of your dreams, and guess what? You will achieve it, whatever it is.

When we get brave enough to do it now, we start to do two things:

1. We begin to create life and the things we want and we eliminate life and the things we don’t want.

2. We begin to experience fortuitous miracles on a regular basis. The impossibilities fall by the wayside and the possibilities continue to unfold.

No matter what you are putting off and no matter when you are telling yourself that you will make it or why you can’t do it now, you lack the courage to face your life and the job at hand. This passive (procrastination) approach to life will create depression, more fear, and stagnation. You will be stuck day after day and year after year.

When a person is not creating the things they want in life, they are usually creating the things they do not want. Difficulties will come and go, but courage will keep you moving towards your dream destination. Don’t adjust your life according to what you don’t feel like doing or apparent limitations. Carry on despite yourself, fear, or lack of motivation. Just do it and do it now!

Here’s an experiment you can do on yourself that I’ve shared with thousands of people around the world. The end result for everyone is always the same.

1. For 24 hours, have the courage to face everything in your life. Whatever you’ve been putting off or avoiding, for a day face it and do it. It could be eating better, making certain phone calls, or doing some things you’ve been putting off for a while.

2. At the end of the 24 hours, watch your mood and energy. You will notice a significant increase in your overall happiness. You will feel more hopeful. You will feel more alive!

A happy and successful life doesn’t just happen, we have to create it and the key element is courage.

Instead of waiting for January to make the merry-go-round, New Years resolution, why not do it now?

Instead of waiting for a better time or day to do something, why not do it now?

Instead of waiting to move on to the life of your dreams, why not do it now?

A little courage can go a long way. Your life will expand or contract according to your courage.

I like what the Greek philosopher Aristotle said: “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees the others.” What does courage guarantee? Everything. Everything you want; everything you want; and everything you deserve.

Be brave enough to become the person you dream of being. The only way you will truly know yourself is to bravely allow your real self to come forward. Get rid of the nagging negatives and experience something wonderful – you.

As you step forward by doing the necessary things that, regardless of that, will create what you want, from fear or not feeling like it, you will become happier. As you become happier, you will shine brighter for others as if you were a lit light. When you shine, the world becomes a brighter place.

I’m going to play and I hope you do too. Until next time, I leave you with a funny Irishman saying that my good friend and client from Ireland asks me for good luck at the end of every coaching call: “May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you are dead.” . “