Courage is an active, present-moment virtue that waits for nothing. It’s always ready to take the initiative, to make the first move, and to set things in motion. Don’t wait for a new career, a new relationship, or other opportunities to come to you. Go out and actively create what you want. Life is waiting for you to make the first move. Use your power.
It’s a great idea to consciously intend what you want, and I (Steve Pavlina) highly recommend you do that, but if you don’t want something badly enough to take direct action, then what does that say about your intention? Doesn’t that suggest you aren’t really committed to it? When you’re really hungry, will you wait patiently for food to arrive, or will you get up and make something to eat? When your intentions are important to you, direct action becomes part of the manifestation process. The best instruments of the Law of Attraction are your own hands and feet.
Fear is the shroud of opportunity. Your greatest regrets in life won’t be the mistakes you made; they’ll be the opportunities you let slip through your fingers by failing to act. When you take the initiative, you pull back the shroud of fear and catch a glimpse of the opportunity behind it. You reveal the long-term gain behind the short-term pain.
In the long run, taking action is less painful than wallowing in fear. Fear may be imaginary, but it can produce needless suffering in the form of discomfort, worry, and stress. Such problems can last for months, years, or even a lifetime if they aren’t remedied with action. The discomfort of courage, on the other hand, is temporary, and in some cases recovery takes only minutes. The path of courage ultimately reduces pain.
* Source: Personal Development for Smart People by Steve Pavlina