A SHORT STORY
One day, a cowardly man came to a master of martial arts and asked that he teach him bravery. The master looked at him and said:
“I will teach you under one condition: one month you will have to live in a big city and tell every person that you meet on your way that you are a coward. You will have to say it loudly, openly and look straight into the person’s eyes.”
The person got sad, because this task seemed very scary to him. For a couple of days, he was very sad and thoughtful. Living with his cowardice was so unbearable that he chose to travel to the city to accomplish his mission.
At first, when meeting the passersby, he was timid, lost his speech, and couldn’t connect with anyone. He needed to finish the master’s task, so he began to overcome his fears. When he came up to the first person to tell them about his cowardice, it seemed to him that he would die from fear. But his voice sounded louder and more confident with every passing day. Suddenly there came a moment when the man caught himself thinking that he’s not scared anymore. As he continued doing the master’s task, he continued to become more convinced he was that the fear was abandoning him. Once a month had passed, he came back to the master, bowed to him and said:
“Thank you, teacher. I finished your task. Now I’m not afraid anymore. But how did you know that this strange task will help me?”
The master replied: “Cowardice is only a habit, and by doing the things that scare us, we can destroy the old habit and come to the conclusion that you came to. Now you have also learned that bravery is also a habit. If you want to make bravery a part of yourself, you need to move forward into the fear. The fear will go away, and bravery will take its place.”
- Cowardice is a habit! Change your habit to one of Confidence!
- Don’t ignore your fears. Move into your fears and build confidence!