Courage comes in many different forms.
One of its rarest forms is the courage to be disliked.
This isn’t a call to lack self awareness or to be insensitive to others. It’s a recognition that we will never become the best version of ourselves by trying to please everyone.
The surest way to fall short of our potential is to try to avoid conflict or criticism, at all costs.
For instance, if we fail to establish boundaries as to who we are and what we stand for, we will find ourselves unable to say “no” when someone makes demands of us.
Anyone who chooses to become an authentic version of himself or herself can count on being misunderstood, betrayed and even hated. It’s the price of separating ourselves from the herd instead of safely blending in.
Finding the courage to be disliked breaks our dependence on others to tell us who we really are.
To speak the truth, even when your voice is shaking, requires a degree of courage that must be experienced to be fully appreciated.
The experiences that knock off and polish away our rough edges will involve failure, recognizing our shortcomings and learning that occasionally we are the antagonist in our life story.
Finding the courage to move forward through the discomfort is what teaches us to trust our judgement and to accept responsibility for how we handle challenges.
It also keeps us humble and humility is the key that unlocks the door to destiny.
The Courage To Be Disliked