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Courage - it takes
courage to stand up and say, "This is not right" - courage to make an
unpopular decision. Courage comes with confidence and commitment to live
by your core values.
"There is no
pivotal moment, only small acts of courage for the right decision." -
Jim
"One
who is supposed to be a warrior considers it his foremost concern to keep death
in mind at all times…. As long as you keep death in mind at all times
you will also fulfill the way of loyalty and familial duty. You will avoid
myriad evils and calamities, you will be physically sound and healthy and you
will live a long life. What is more, your character will improve and your virtue
will grow." - Thomas Cleary, Code
of the Samurai
"In
World War II, fighter pilots were led on by other pilot’s courage."
- Mel, aerospace
"Courage
is all tangled up in leadership and values."
- Heber, manufacturing
"There
is no pivotal moment; only small acts of courage for the right decision."
- Jim, international trade
"Without
courage, one cannot make difficult decisions; to share the responsibility and
the blame. They wind up in the corporate scheme getting by without getting
results." - George, Trade Association
"Courage
is like backbone – if you don’t stand up for yourself, you get walked
on." - Angela, retail
"Sometimes
our fears can grip us so tightly we are not able to act." - Cynthia,
consultant
"The
many pressures of the market place can compromise an individual’s values to do
what is expedient. When people don’t feel invested in the organization, they
may not stand up for what is right. This works against people being true to
their values." - Nancy, financial services
"I
had to take the big swallow and step out of my comfort zone."
- Roz, entrepreneur
"Courage
and leadership are synonymous. Guide your people to do the right thing and
protect unpopular acts of courage. You must have a covenant to protect and
encourage in that path."
- Fred, Logistics
"There
is a lot of fear for advancement, for the job. This causes people to look the
other way. If someone is driven by money and financial gain, they will be more
desperate when faced with losing a job."
- Barbara, publishing
"My
boss folded like an accordion in front of the big boss."
- Doug, college
coach
"Courage,
bravery, valor – these words have been tied to the military, but they also
refer to the inner battles raging within us."
- John, securities
"There
are also those who are hesitant in danger, their hearts pounding and their knees
trembling, yet they go ahead, along with the brave ones…….. although they
are far inferior to the naturally brave ones, when they have gone through this
time and again, fighting in battle after battle until they get used to it,
eventually their minds settle and they become praiseworthy knights, strong and
firm, not so different from those who are naturally
brave." - Thomas
Cleary, Code of the Samurai
"Just as
some people are more gifted athletically, others are born with more courage. I
am not a naturally talented athlete. I’ve worked hard. I’ve had a lot of
success but also a lot of failure. Judo puts you in a lot of situations where
you must have courage to continue. That builds self-confidence and more
courage."- Sandy
Bacher, three-time judo Olympian, five-time World Team, Women’s Freestyle
Wrestling and 1999 gold medallist
"It
is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man
stumbled or the doer of deed could have done better. The credit belongs to the
man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by sweat and dust and
blood; who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great
enthusiasms; the great devotions, and spends himself in worthy causes; who at
the best, knows in the end of the triumph of high achievement and who at worse
if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never
be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."
- Theodore Roosevelt, United States 26th President, Judo brown
belt
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