I’ve seen how often curiosity quietly waits in the background until courage steps forward first. It takes courage to ask the question(s) we’re afraid might change everything. It takes courage to admit we don’t know. It takes even more courage to enter into a situation we don’t fully understand. Not to control it, but to grow from it.
In my classroom, I see courage every day when a student raises their hand to ask a question. Not because they want attention, but because they genuinely want to understand or to be understood. Sometimes that question reveals a gap in their knowledge. Sometimes it reveals a gap in mine. Either way, the question takes guts. And the learning that follows? That’s the reward of courage in action.
Maya Angelou said:
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”
Courage is the force that allows us to move toward the unknown instead of away from it. Whether it’s navigating a tough conversation, unpacking our own assumptions, or listening to someone whose experience is radically different from our own, courage asks us to be present. Fully. Not armed with certainty, but open to truth.
Brené Brown said this about courage, “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
Courage isn’t always about big actions. Sometimes, it’s about being honest and present, especially when we feel uncertain, exposed, or insecure.
This type of courage is quiet. It’s choosing authenticity over approval. It’s telling the truth when it’s uncomfortable. It’s being yourself when the fear of judgment is real.
It’s about vulnerability. It’s the willingness to show up and be seen. It’s asking a question when silence would be easier. It’s staying at the table when the conversation gets hard. Courage is not the absence of fear, it’s the willingness to move through fear in pursuit of something more meaningful. Growth. Connection. Wisdom.
It takes courage to ask your partner, “Are we really okay?”
It takes courage to say, “I don’t know, but I want to learn.”
It takes courage to confront the stories we’ve told ourselves and say, “Maybe there’s more to the picture.”
This is the heart of building strong communities. When we show up in someone else’s life with openness and honesty, we give them freedom. The freedom to real and to be brave.
Every meaningful breakthrough — in the classroom, in a relationship, in my own personal healing — has required courage. Not always in the dramatic sense, but in the quiet, persistent way that says: I’m willing to go there. I’m willing to ask. I’m willing to be changed.
If you’re looking to grow; as a leader, in your relationships, or even just in self-understanding, don’t just ask what you’re curious about… ask what you’re willing to be courageous about. What are you willing to lean into, even when it’s uncomfortable? That’s where transformation begins.
With brave questions.
With honest listening.
With the courage to be shaped by what we find.
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