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Today's
quotation:
If you
summon your courage to challenge something, you'll never
regret it. How sad it would be to spend your life wishing,
"If only
I had a little more courage." Whatever the outcome, the
important
thing is to take a step forward on the path that you believe is right.
There's no need to worry about what others may think.
It's your life, after all. Be true to yourself.
Daisaku Ikeda
Buddhism
Day by Day
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Today's
Meditation:
Which path
do you think is the "right" one for you?
Why is it so easy to stay on other paths that simply
aren't the right one? In my life, I think that any
one of several paths can easily be a right one for me--
this world offers so many different possibilities that
it's impossible for me to think of doing just one thing or
traveling just one path. But Daisaku is right when
he says that it takes courage to step out on such a
path. I've avoided some paths because I was afraid of what
would happen if I took them and things didn't work out.
Courage
isn't reserved for emergency situations. It's not
something that comes out just at wartime, or when danger
is present. Courage is something that we must have
if we're to step out on a path that's risky. We have
to show courage to make it through things like depression
and anxiety, or to end harmful relationships or begin new
ones. It's starting school again after many years,
or telling something important to someone who's important
to us-- and knowing that doing so will probably change the
nature of our relationship.
Courage
is a trait that we all possess, but not one that we all
exercise. Some of us allow our fears to overwhelm
our courage, and we can pay a very high price for doing
so. Things go undone that would be wonderful for
us-- people remain unmet, jobs go unsought, tasks remain
unstarted. Our fears are a natural part of us, of
course, but so is courage. Why, then, are our fears
so often so much stronger than our courage?
Show
some courage today. Do something that makes you feel
unsure of yourself, intimidated, or even afraid. It
won't be the end of the world, and just doing what you set
out to do-- or even having the courage to try it-- will
prove to be a very positive experience in your life.
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