a conversation about courage

salutem cafe, south manchester - nov 19

I love this photo! This was my first conversation event as ‘soul survival guide’.

I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people or venue (thank you, Rachel at Salutem Cafe!).

A big thank you to everyone who came together and shared their stories and reflections.

what came out of the conversation

en-courage-ment
This was one of the main things to come out of the discussion: the importance and value of encouraging others. A little encouragement can make a big difference!

There’s also self-encouragement. This is more than just being kind to yourself. It’s gently urging yourself, being in your own corner, your own coach. We’d do it for others, why not ourselves?

you don’t have to feel courageous to be courageous

Courage is action, not feelings. You don’t have to ‘find’ it or put your energies into mustering it. It's a way of being.

In this way, courage can be a balm, a way of countering the discomfort we feel in doing difficult things. It isn't easy to be vulnerable, to step into the arena and be seen, as Brene Brown says. But knowing we are choosing courage can bolster us, sustain us even. We might not feel strong but we are being strong. We can 'sit' in courage.

sometimes a bit of stubbornness helps

Sometimes being a bit stubborn or single-minded can help us make courageous choices – and to keep on making them. People might doubt us or be concerned for us. At the end of the day though, it’s up to us. It’s being resolved - or resolute - and committing to the decisions we make.

what people said about the conversation

'The room was filled with courageous, honest, loving people talking about their journeys and reflections. I absolutely loved it.'

'Thank you so much for tonight - it's massively helped me, opened up my mind. I'll do more group talks and meet-ups from now on. It was a great conversation.'

'Really interesting night out. Very friendly people. Gently guided and kept on track with our conversations by the lovely Ali - and Salutem Cafe was the perfect venue. Thank you all.'

'Absolutely great evening. Just the simple thing of giving yourself time to actually have an hour out and simply listen and hear without any other focus was beneficial and insightful! Please run another one!'

'It was truly a privilege to listen and be part of such an honest conversation with strangers that felt like friends by the end of the night.'

Courage is one of the subjects I explore in my book 'soul survival guide'.

See author q&a for more about the book and why I wrote it.